After a protracted sickness, renowned Congolese guitarist Denis Lokassa Kasiya, also known as Lokassa ya Mbongo, passed away Tuesday night in the United States.
The well-known Soukous Stars band, which was formerly headquartered in Paris, had Lokassa as its bandleader. Lokassa recently turned 80. Prior to joining the ensemble All African Stars, he worked briefly for Tabu Ley Rochereau’s Afrisa International. He was recovering from a mild stroke he had a few years prior and had been fighting diabetes.
Mekanisi Modero, a fellow Congolese artist who resides in the US, stated to have learned of Lokassa’s passing from the nurse who had been attending to him. She mentioned he had respiratory issues prior to passing away in Nashua, New Hampshire.
Singer Wawali Bonane, a member of The Afrisa International Band, resides in the same province as well. After visiting Lokassa, he expressed how the tragic news had devastated him.
Ngouma Lokito, a New York-based musician from the Congo, informed his followers about the sad news of Lokassa ya Mbongo via a Facebook post.