Renowned saxophonist Manu Dibango died due to coronavirus infection, the official Facebook page of the musician announced. He was 86 years of age. Dibango developed a unique musical style by mixing jazz, funk and traditional music of Cameroon, the place he belongs to.
Announcing on Facebook, the official page of Dibango said: "It is with deep sadness that we announce you the loss of Manu Dibango, our Papy Groove, who passed away on 24th of March 2020, at 86 years old, further to covid 19."
"His funeral service will be held in strict privacy, and a tribute to his memory will be organized when possible," it added.
'Soul Makossa' was his most popular song.
Dibango filed a lawsuit against Michael Jackson and Rihanna in 2009, claiming his music had been stolen in "Wanna Be Startin ' Something" and "Don't Stop the Music," respectively. Jackson settled the case outside the court, the ABC news reported.
As per National Post, Dibango in an interview in 2019 said that the song 'Soul Makossa' is now available for everyone to use.
This has gone beyond me. It's nice in a way, it no longer belongs to the artist once a song is a normal, but to the person who interprets it, he added.
In 2010, France, the country where he settled afterwards awarded him the medal "legion d'honneur"
Apart from Dibango, more than 14,000 people have been killed by the deadly coronavirus pandemic and more than 3 lakhs have been infected around the world, but people are still in need of a cure. No country has so far been successful in developing the COVID-19 novel coronavirus vaccine and there is an urgent need for treatment.
