How gospel queen, Kefee, died in U.S

A pal of gloom descended on the entertainment industry yesterday, when gospel queen, Irikefe Obareki Don Momoh, popularly known as Kefee, died at the Desert Springs Hospital, Las Vegas, United States, after spending about 15 days in coma. Kefee, according to report, had collapsed on a flight to Chicago, USA on May 28, forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing.

The plane was said to have landed in Los Angeles to enable her get the needed treated, despite being in coma since then. Incidentally, her husband, Teddy Don-Momoh, had last week called for prayers for his wife. Her death, however, ended weeks of anxiety, which trailed her deplored health condition, after reports said her heartbeat had stopped naturally.
Announcing her death yesterday to the Nigerian community in Las Vegas, President of the association, Mr. Festus Ebonka, pleaded with the deceased’s family to quickly take her remains back home for a befitting burial. Prior to her death yesterday, there seemed to be a glimmer of hope when news filtered in that the deceased miraculously jerked back to life on Thursday evening.

But her health conditions obviously relapsed when everyone least expected it. Thereafter, her husband and Star FM’s on-air-personality, Teddy Don-Momoh, who hurriedly went to the US solicited prayers from friends and all well-wishers to get her back hale and hearty. “We just need prayers now; she just needs our prayers now because there is nothing God cannot do; prayer is the key.

“God is still the same yesterday, today, and forever, He has done it before and He will do it again,” he said. She reportedly collapsed after suffering from preeclampsia, a pregnancy-induced high blood pressure which was later corroborated by a Nigerian doctor, Dr. Adeyefa, last Monday in a statement that partly reads, “Kefee is in a precarious situation because of the six months pregnancy.

If the foetus had been nine months, the doctors would have removed the baby and saved the mother and child. As it is now, not only will the baby not survive because the carrier is in coma, Kefee may also lose her life from further complications. The chance of the mother surviving is narrow, while the kid has a narrower chance. I urge Nigerians to pray for her for a miracle because that is what she really needs.”

In the same vein, a contrasting report later emergeD from the deceased’s UK manager, Adeline Adelicious Adebayo, “On behalf of the family, it is with great sadness but with grateful hearts that we announce the passing to glory due to lungs failure this morning of our God’s mouthpiece, chorus leader, daughter, wife, sister, friend, Kefee Branama Queen.” However, there is no medical report on what caused the singer’s death.
Sometime in May, she celebrated her second wedding anniversary with her husband with whom she was taking the second shot at marriage. Kefee, in her mid 30s recently returned to Nigeria after she had travelled to the United States in 2013 to complete her course in production and directing at the Chicago Access Network TV where she graduated as a certified video director.

She also released a new song, Dem Go Talk, and was working on a fresh album before she died. Unknown to many, Kefee who started singing at eight in a local church did not set out to be a gospel singer. Interestingly, she debuted as a rap/ pop singer in group called ST & Kefee in the early 2000s.
In the journey of self-discovery, Kefee gradually found a more staying power in what was to later become ‘inspirational singing’ until it all blossomed into full gospel repertoire following her collaboration with Timaya in the single dubbed, Kokoro.

Her claim to fame was her hit songs like, ‘Branama’ and ‘Kokoroko’ Headies Award in 2010 for Best Collaboration was to cap it all. Meanwhile, tributes have since started streaming in, her first publicist, Justin Akpoviesade, remarked, “Kefee is a great loss to Nigeria. She died at a time she was carrying so much to deliver. She just completed a course and would have proven her proficiency in video production and directing if she’d stayed a little longer.”
Others who paid tribute to Keffe include, Annie Emmanuel, Cynthia Morgan, Media consultant and Special Project Manager, Premier Records Limited, Mr. Michael Odiong, CEO of Calben Film Entertainment, Chibuzo Patrick, who said the “Kokoroko” artiste was a very passionate and unassuming person, and the CEO of Bail Music Company, Mr. Lanre Lawal.
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