Artiste falls ill during church concert, dies in hospital

A performing artiste based in Osogbo, Osun State, popularly known by the stage name, Tola King, has reportedly died after a brief illness that started during a church concert on Saturday.

The Governor of Celestial Performing Artistes Association of Nigeria, in Osun State, Temitope Awosika, who confirmed the incident during an interview with Punch Metro on Sunday, said Tola King was performing alongside his other colleagues at a concert organised by a Celestial church located in the Obalende area of Osogbo in the early hours of Saturday, when he suddenly took ill.

Awosika, who said he was contacted when the artiste took ill, further said Tola King was promptly attended to inside the church before he was rushed to an undisclosed hospital in Osogbo, from where he was transferred to another hospital in Ile-Ife at daybreak.

He further said, “Tola King was one of us in the Osun chapter. Saturday morning, I was called around 3 am, but I didn’t pick up the call. Around 5:30 am, I picked up the call. There was a concert at a Celestial Church in Obalende, Osogbo.

“The person that called me is one Evangelist Femi. The deceased and Femi were called to perform at the same time. Tola King performed for a while and dropped the microphone for Femi. After that, Femi said Tola suddenly held him from the back.

“He was immediately attended to as his breathing was at that point becoming heavy. Within 10 minutes, he was rushed to a hospital. From that first hospital, he was referred to another hospital in Ile-Ife. He was promptly attended to in that Ife hospital.

“Around 1:30 pm Saturday, his condition did not improve and by 2 pm, he gave up the ghost. He didn’t slump in the church. He was made to sit down when he took ill in the church. He was given first aid before he was taken to hospital.”

The CPAAN governor, who said the incident had thrown the association into mourning, charged people to lead a righteous life, as death remained a certain end for all creatures.