Social media is currently awash with reports of the death of Congolese musician Jules Shungu Wembadio Pene Kikumba otherwise called Papa Wemba who collapsed and died while performing on stage last night in Ivory Coast.
At the moment, the immediate cause of his death is not known but multiple media reports confirm that the singer is indeed dead.
Here is what we know so far about the music icon and his death:
- Papa Wemba was hale and hearty until the moment shown in this video – with him slumping on stage while performing in Ivory Coast.
VIDEO: The moment legendary African musician Papa Wemba slumped while performing on stage at #FEMUA9. pic.twitter.com/beZDcDgLvk #RIPPapaWemba
— NBS Television (@nbstv) April 24, 2016
2. His Wikipedia page has been updated and also confirms his death
3. Until his death at the age of 66, Papa Wemba was a Congolese musician, known for pioneering the Congolese rumba (later known as Soukous) genre of music.
4. In 1979, Papa Wemba became the leader of the La Sape (Sape is an acronym for’Society of Ambiance-ists and People of Elegance’) which he promoted as a Congolese youth subculture.
5. On February 18, 2003, he became a suspect in a case involving a network that has allegedly smuggled hundreds of illegal immigrants from Congo (former Zaire) into Europe. Papa Wemba was later arrested at his home in Paris. He was eventually found guilty by a Belgian court in June 2003 and sentenced to fifteen months imprisonment and a 22,000 euro fine.
