Veteran highlife musician Orlando Julius dies at 79

A famous Nigerian highlife musician, Orlando Julius, has died at 79.

Managing Director of Evergreen Music, Bimbo Esho, confirmed this, saying the wife of the deceased, Latoya, had reached her in the early hours of Friday, April 15 about his death.

Esho wrote, “Bimbo, Daddy has passed On… This was the message I stumbled on waking up at exactly 3 am to peruse my WhatsApp page… It was a message sent to me by Orlando Julius’ beautiful and supportive wife Lady Latoya.

“Orlando Julius a native of Ijebu Ijesha succumbed to the cold hands of death and breathed his last few hours ago at the age of 79. We shall miss one of Nigeria’s fathers of Afro/Highlife Music, a gentleman and a fine Saxophonist. May daddy Orlando Julius’ soul journey well. To the entire Ekemode family may God give you the fortitude to bear this irreplaceable loss.”

Julius was born in 1943 in Ikole, Nigeria to a merchant family during British colonialism. Julius’ first music teacher was his mother, who would sing and dance while he played the drums.

In 1957, after dropping out of school and the death of his father, he left for Ibadan to pursue a career as a musician.