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Who was Ifunaya Nwangene? The Voice Nigeria contestant, 26, dies from snake bite
Ifunanya Nwangene died at her home in Abuja, Nigeria, just five years after appearing on The Voice Nigeria.
A The Voice Nigeria contestant died of a horrifying snake bite on January 31. Ifunanya Nwangene died aged 26 just five years after appearing on The Voice Nigeria, Amemuso Choir music director Sam C. Ezugwu confirmed.
“Amemuso Choir regret to announce the sudden demise of our beloved Soprano, Ifunaya Nwangene,” they wrote on their Facebook page. "A rising star, Ifunanya was on the cusp of sharing her incredible talent with the world. Her voice and spirit will be deeply missed."
Hillary Obinna, a fellow singer and a friend of Nwangene's, told the BBC Africa that Nwangene was at her home in Abuja, Nigeria when a "snake bite woke her up."
Two snakes were later found inside her home, Obinna said. However, it is unclear what snakes were found.
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Ezugwu, meanwhile, recalled that a hospital staff tried to “stabilise her,” adding that the singer “could not speak, but she could make hand gestures. She was struggling to breathe.”
Nwangene was planning to stage her first solo concert later this year, the BBC reported.
Who was Ifunaya Nwangene?
Nwangene was best known for her jazz-operatic singing. She rose to prominence after stunning viewers on The Voice with her cover of Rihanna's hit song Take a Bow. However, she was eliminated in the Knockout round of the show.
Nwangene’s death comes three days after she teased a new song with musician Tbrass. After the news of her death surfaced, the artist shared a clip of the late singer recording the track.
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“An irreplaceable loss to the Abuja music society and Nigeria at large,” he wrote on Instagram. “My hand and heart feels very heavy writing this, because it is unimaginable loosing such a young promising great, talented music artist who touched so many lives, it is very heartbreaking—especially in Nigeria where music runs deep in our souls and connects us all.”
He added, “To think that @nanyah_music was at my studio on Wednesday the 28th to feature in a track for my next album, still cannot wrap my head around the fact that we have recorded songs pending release and other people she may have unfinished businesses with, and the thousands of souls looking up to her and today she’s no more. The pain of saying goodbye to someone whose voice and energy brought joy, inspiration, and even healing to many is heavy. From her unique voice, to the stories she told through songs, and the way she represented our culture and struggles, Nanya was a true artist who left an irreplaceable mark.”
