Notable Nigerian music legends and showbiz practitioners have started paying tributes to the late 90s Showbiz personality, Mustapha Amego, popularly called Funky Mallam, who died on Tuesday, after a long battle with cancer of the colon. Amego died in his home in the US.
The man who enjoyed a large following on Facebook while alive has had his social media account flooded with messages from friends, long time colleagues and fans. Among them are Blaccky, who wrote, “Thought it was a rumour but behold, my brother, you have departed from this sinful world. This is so painful. Rest in perfect peace, .B.”
Also, Collins Enebeli, father of popular Nigerian music producer Don Jazzy and President of the Artiste Manager Association in Nigeria, has added his voice, saying, “The galaxy of stars above welcome yet another star. Memories of the Funky Mallam lives on!” Another 1990s star, Mike Okri, expressed shock and sadness over Amego’s demise. Okri, who served as the PMAN second vice president during Amego’s tenure, described him as a great man.
Amego’s death came just days after he was discharged from the Maryland Medical Center, in Maryland, US, where he was undergoing treatment. Early in the week, his wife, Marie, drew attention to her husband’s health condition in a Facebook post. The couple have a daughter named Fatemma .
Although the late Amego was diagnosed with colon cancer several years ago, the disease spread to other organs in his body three months ago.
According to his wife, doctors at the Maryland Medical Center had disclosed that all the treatment given might to save his life and said he had just three weeks to live.
After he was discharged from the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital over the weekend, he was taken home and given a hospice care schedule.
According to the late Amego’s friend, Azuka Molokwu, a US-based Nigerian journalist and writer, who spoke with him a few hours before he gave up the ghost, the Funky Mallam ‘expressed appreciations for the support to his family since they went public with his health challenges.’
Molokwu also hinted on his Facebook page that Amego’s family had announced that the showbiz star would be buried on Thursday according to Muslim rites.
Amego, a star TV host of the 90s, was the host of the then popular weekly music-dance show, Sunday Rendezvous and Kessington Hit Show.
He was also the PMAN president from 1993 to 1996. After his tenure, he relocated to the US where he worked with the Discovery Channel as a content producer, editor and ‘Tricaster’ operator.
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