Ifunanya Nwangene, who first rose to fame on Season 3 of The Voice Nigeria, has sadly passed away at the age of 26.
The news was reported by BBC Africa, which revealed that Nwangene died after being bitten by a snake.
Later, Sam C. Ezugwu, the music director of the Amemuso Choir that Nwangene was part of, also confirmed her passing. He shared a statement on Facebook on Sunday, February 1.
“Amemuso Choir regret to announce the sudden demise of our beloved soprano,” the statement read. “A rising star, Ifunanya was on the cusp of sharing her incredible talent with the world. Her voice and spirit will be deeply missed.”
According to BBC Africa, the incident occurred on January 31 while Nwangene was at home in Abuja.
The outlet spoke with her close friend and collaborator, Hillary Obinna, who said Nwangene was asleep when she was bitten. She immediately woke up when it happened. He also said that two snakes were later found in her home.
The singer first went to a nearby clinic for immediate help, but they did not have antivenom. She was then taken to a hospital in hopes of getting the treatment she needed.
Ezugwu told the outlet that he rushed to the hospital as soon as he heard what had happened and learned that the medical center had only one of the two required antivenoms. He says that he left to try and find the life-saving medicine somewhere else, but by the time he returned, Nwangene had died.
About Ifunanya Nwangene
Nwangene was a powerful vocalist known for singing classical, jazz, R&B, and soul music. Outside of music, she was also an architect.
She first caught the attention of thousands when she earned two chair turns on Season 3 of The Voice Nigeria with her rendition of Rihanna’s “Take a Bow.”
The 26-year-old was actively working on new music before her passing. In her final Instagram post, she teased a project she was creating with fellow Nigerian singer Tbrass.
He later paid tribute to Nwangene by sharing a video of her recording in the studio. A portion of his tribute read:
“An irreplaceable loss to the Abuja music society and Nigeria at large💔. My hand and heart feels very heavy writing this, because it is unimaginable loosing such a young promising great, talented music artist who touched so many lives, it is very heartbreaking—especially in Nigeria where music runs deep in our souls and connects us all.”
Details about Ifunanya Nwangene’s funeral arrangement are expected to be shared on the Amemuso Choir’s Facebook page.