Some Nigerian artistes have taken to social media to mourn the loss of Jimi Solanke, who passed away on Monday after a brief illness at the age of 81.
Mufu Onifade, a painter, expressed his sorrow on Facebook, writing, “Nooooooooo! Noooooooo!! No nah!!! Ha! Death! But why?!!! Death will kill the one hailing and still kill the one being hailed. Death has no shame or pity. And so it took Uncle Jimi! The great Jimi Solanke! Jimi Solanke, the lion voice whose eyes rove to penetrate hard hearts. Baba Agba whose presence on stage makes the stage shiver. Whether in ‘Kurunmi’ or ‘The Gods are not to Blame,’ he is a large masquerade that the audience adores and worships. Whether in his music albums or on moonlight times with countless children, his fingers trick the strings of the box guitar, and the sound sings the lullaby that vibrates and resonates in our hearts. When he opens his mouth, his voice vibrates through the mic and bursts the speaker. The Lion Voice speaks and the ground trembles. When he sings ‘Osupa,’ ‘Baba Agba,’ and many more of his original numbers, his voice pushes the music to our souls. Every masquerade – even the elders’ masquerade – entertains and blesses people with dances and prayers and returns to ‘igbale’ to cool off. And so the big masquerade has performed all ordained rituals and has now danced back to ‘igbale’ after his final curtain call that closed his final stage performance! Good night, Baba Agba!”
Adejumo Emmanuel, a dramatist and the son of the late Baba Sala, shared, “The theatre and dance industry lost a gem. Pa Jimmy Solanke was my childhood theatre hero. His baritone voice always gave me goosebumps. I never missed some of his TV series and stage plays then. The king of folksong is gone. The entire arts industry will surely miss him. Journey well, grandpa. May you rest in perfect peace, baba. Sleep tight, sir.”
Veteran comedian and actor, Gbenga Adeyinka, wrote, “RIP Uncle Jimi Solanke (1942 – 2024), one of Africa’s finest actors, musicians, poets, and storytellers. Thanks a lot for the memories. You are surely one of the greatest God gave us. You will be sorely missed.”
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Solanke was said to have died while being rushed from his country home at Ipara Remo in Remo North Local Government Area of Ogun to Babcock University Teaching Hospital, Ilishan. Solanke is known for his roles in ‘Kongi’s Harvest,’ ‘Sango,’ ‘Shadow Parties,’ and many more.