Renowned Congolese singer General Defao, real name Lulendo Matumona, has passed away in Douala, Cameroon, where he had gone to perform at a New Year’s Eve show.
Defao, 62, died yesterday, at the Laquintinie Hospital in Douala, Cameroon, where he was admitted after being taken ill. Some reports indicate he succumbed to Covid-19.
Born in Kinshasa on December 31, 1958, General Defao would have made 63 on the day of is Cameroon show.
He started singing in 1978 as part of Orchestre Suka Movema. In the 1990s he was one of the most popular Congolese musicians alongside the likes of Kanda Bongoman, Koffi Olomidde, Awilo Longomba and Pepe Kale (R.I.P).
General Defao perfomed several shows in Uganda, especially Kampala and Arua where he was much loved.
He lived in Nairobi, Kenya for the bigger part of the 2000s and only returned to Congo in 2019.
Congolese musicians like Ferre Gola and Fally Ipupa were among the first ones to convey their condolences, describing his demise as a loss for Africa.