Mrs Jane Dolapo Balogun who is the most cherished mother of Grammy-winning Nigerian singer, Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, popularly known Wizkid, has passed away, Africa Today News, New York can confirm.
The mother of three passed on at around 1.30 am, Friday morning.
Wizkid’s manager, Sunday Are, confirmed the incident to journalists on Friday, saying; ‘Yes, she died this morning, at about 1.30 am.’
Africa Today News, New York recalls that before his mum’s passing, Wizkid often spoke glowingly about the support she gave him as an artiste. He also often gushed of his love for her. To underscore his love for her, the singer dedicated a song, ‘Mummy Mi’, to her. This was even as he talked about her in some other songs, including ‘Joy’ and ‘Jaiye Jaiye’. He also stated that a tattoo on his hand, which reads ‘Morayo’, was dedicated to her.
On her birthday in July 2019, Wizkid had taken to his Instagram page to celebrate her. The singer, who does not usually felicitate people on social media, posted a picture of her and wrote, “My backbone, prayer warrior, my life! I love you. I’ll do anything for you. I will do everything for you. (I wish you) long life.”
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On her part, the artiste’s late mum also often spoke of her love for the ‘Essence’ singer. In an interview with Daily Post in April 2014, she had said, “I am so glad that he is my son and I’m his mother. I give God all the glory. God has kept him for us and He will continue to (do so).”
Asked if she called her son by his stage name, she said, “Right from when he was a kid, I called him ‘IB-boy’, which is a short form of his name, Ibrahim.”
Reacting to the sad news, a digital creator, Alabi Lawrence, wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter), “Wizkid loved his mother so much. The pain of losing a parent is indescribable.”
A social media influencer, Mc_Phils wrote, “Sad to hear that Wizkid lost his mum. May she rest in peace.”
A fan, David Onyemaizu said, “Wizkid’s mum has passed on? A very sad news. May her soul rest in peace. Losing a parent when one is as at the apex of one’s career can be very devastating. I wish this wasn’t true.”
Yet another fan, Adebayo, commented, ‘Losing a mother can feel as if the wind was knocked out of you. May her soul rest in peace.