Legendary highlife musician Nana Ampadu passes on at age 76

Legendary highlife musician, Nana Kwame Ampadu, has passed on at the age of 76.

The acting President of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), Bessa Simons, confirmed this to ghanaweekend.com.

Nana Ampadu according to Mr. Simons died on Tuesday, September 28, 2021, after he was admitted at the Intensive Care Unit of the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) in Accra.

Nana Ampadu was one time President of MUSIGA and was also the leader of the African Brothers Band, formed in 1963.

The legendary highlife musician has been credited with several popular highlife tracks. He is known to have composed over 800 songs.

He came to prominence in 1967 when he released his song Ebi Te Yie (“Some Are Well Seated”), a song that was seen as critical of the then-governing National Liberation Council (NLC) which toppled Ghana’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah. The song disappeared from the airwaves, only returning after the end of military rule.

In 1973, he won a nationwide competition in Ghana and was crowned the “Adwontofoohene,” or King of Singers.

Tributes have already been pouring for the late legend.

Any time I listen to Daddy Lumba’s Akwanoma song I feel like crying. He specially dedicated that song to Nana Ampadu(the highlife legend). RIP Nana Ampadu.😥
— Kweku Boye 📯🇬🇭 (@BoyeKweku) September 28, 2021