The famous Nigerian veteran singer-songwriter, journalist, and actress Onyenka Onwenu recently passed away at 72 on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, at an event in Lagos.
The singer was said to have fallen after her performance at a friend’s birthday ceremony and was immediately rushed to Reddington Hospital, where the confirmation of her demise was made.
A video of the late Onyeka Onwenu’s final performance is currently going viral all over social media. In it, she performs energetically and looks healthy, shocking her fans about her demise.
Likewise, people are expressing their sorrow and grief online and sending their condolences to the late Onyeka’s family and loved ones.
Talking about her family, Onyeka was the mother of two sons, Tijani Charles and Abraham Ogunlende, whom she had with her ex-husband.
Onyeka Onwenu once said, ‘My husband was a good man but refused to raise our children‘
In several interviews, the late Nigerian singer Onyeka often talked about her ex-husband, describing him as a good man but not a responsible father.
Initially, Onyeka kept her unhappy marriage life a secret. Still, she began to talk about her husband when she reached 70. She opened up about her failed marriage life and how she raised her sons as a single mother without the support of their father.
Moreover, in an interview, the singer said that she didn’t want her marriage to end with her ex-husband, but staying in the marriage would have ki*led her because it was difficult and made her suffer from depression.
She also said that her husband didn’t pay their sons’ school fees or buy them clothes, and she didn’t even have her housekeeping money. The environment they were living in was not suitable for the children, so she decided to carry the weight of the whole family.
Onyeka further stated that she raised her sons from kindergarten to their master’s degrees without any contribution from her husband. Still, she added that her husband was friendly, kind, and generous.
Furthermore, no other details about late Onyeka’s ex-husband’s personal life are available besides the information she provided.
Both of the late Nigerian singer Onyeka Onwenu’s sons, Tijani and Abraham Ogunlende, are an artist.
Onyeka Onwenu’s son, Tijani Ogunlende, and Abraham, aka Abe Ogunlende, are outstanding artists who showcase their exceptional skills and talent in their fields.
Tijani Charles Ogunlende is an artist, designer, developer, and photographer specializing in visual arts, graphic design, and web development. He is also the sole proprietor of TijaniOgunlende, an independent graphic design and art photography company.
Before his company, Tijani Charles was a web developer at KRT Marketing and a social media researcher at Clear Essence Cosmetics. He also has a Bachelor’s in Visual Arts degree from the University of Maryland Baltimore County and a New Media degree from the Academy of Art Univeristy.
Onyeka’s second son, Abraham, aka Abe Ogunlede, is a Nigerian contemporary artist who creates pastels and aesthetic, simple art that combines connections between society and personhood.
Additional Information
- Onyeka Onwenu was the youngest daughter among the five children of Nigerian teacher and politician D.K. Onwenu. She was raised in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.
- She earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Communication from Wellesley College, Massachusetts, and a Master of Arts in Media Studies from The New School for Social Research, New York.
- Onyeka worked as a Nigerian Television Authority newsreader and reporter and wrote and presented the famous BBC/NTA documentary “Nigeria: A Squandering of Riches.” She also presented and hosted the shows “Contact” and “Who’s On?” on the NTA network.
- She also made her appearance in several Nollywood movies, including Window’s Cot, Half of a Yellow Sun and Lion Heart, Rising Moon, and Government House. She won two African Movie Academy Awards in the year 2006.
