Papa Wemba, Congo music star, dies after stage collapse

The influential Congolese musician Papa Wemba has died aged 66 after collapsing during a concert. Footage from the show in Ivory Coast showed him slumped on stage. His dancers, unaware of what was happening, continued to perform before rushing to his aid. In a career spanning almost half a century, Wemba became known as the […]

The influential Congolese musician Papa Wemba has died aged 66 after collapsing during a concert.
Footage from the show in Ivory Coast showed him slumped on stage. His dancers, unaware of what was happening, continued to perform before rushing to his aid.
In a career spanning almost half a century, Wemba became known as the “the king of Congolese rumba”.
He was also a style icon, popularising the cult movement known as the Sapeurs.
The musician fell ill in the early hours of Saturday morning. The cause of his death has not been established.
He died before he could be brought to hospital, a spokesman for the Ivosep morgue in Abidjan said.
Born in 1949, Wemba, whose real name was Shungu Wembadio Pene Kikumba, began his singing career in religious choirs. He helped modernise Congolese rumba music, making it one of the most popular sounds in Africa.