Khodjo Aquai is dead

Veteran Ghanaian musician, Khodjo Aquai has kicked the bucket. It happened at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital last night. It’s not yet clear which ailment took his life but close sources say he had not been in the best of health for months.

The last time a Showghana.com reporter met him was at the reunion meeting of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA). He had considerably reduced in size, looked pale and unhealthy, a shadow of the hail and hearty Khodjo we all knew.

One of Khodjo’s most popular songs in Ghana is ‘Anadwo Fa’, an evergreen classic that has passed for a signature tune on Peace FM’s late night show, ‘Woba Ada Ana’. He was a master blender of soul with elements of jazz, funk and rock. He recorded seven new albums since his return to Ghana eight years ago but none has been released till date.

The albums were held because of the unstructured nature of Ghana’s copyright system, which hardly pays royalties to copyright owners. Khodjo Aquai was himself at the frontline of advocating proper laws on the administration and distribution of royalties.

The masters’ degree holder in music education left behind a daughter who’s based in the United States of America. Showghana.com sends condolences to the entire Aquai family.