Fuji Icon Sikiru Ayinde Barrister Dies at 62

Alhaji Sikiru Ayinde

Multiple sources have informed us that Fuji music icon and veteran bandleader, Sikiru Ayinde Balogun, who had been ill for months, has passed on. Popularly called Barrister, the 90s hit-maker was reportedly on admission in a London hospital, until he died.

Sources say Barrister was moved to London from Germany where he had earlier sought treatment for an undisclosed ailment. Before Germany, he had earlier undergone an operation in India ‘to remove excess fat from his body’ according to family sources.
One of his wives identified as ‘Yinka told friends this afternoon that Barry has passed. No official statement  yet from the family and and one of his closest friends Buhari Olooto insists the musician is still alive. ‘I will let you know once I confirm anything contrary’ he tells our sources. ‘Lets wait and see. And even if he dies, you will know now; because we will all be at his burial and we will see his corpse’.
‎​A close associate of King Sunny Ade, one Mr. Ige, who spoke on his behalf said although Barrister was on the hospital bed for  long, his death still came as a shock because everybody was praying for him to recover. KSA particularly sent messages to him, praying to see him back very soon.  Mr. Ige said the painful aspect of the death is that Barrister was a stabilising factor in the fuji brand of Yoruba cultural music, adding that his role is crucial and would be difficult to fill. PMAN President Dele Abiodun was also in shock when he learnt of Barrister’s demise, he tells our sources, ‘we are in a mourning mood. It’s so sad. I don’t know why it had to happen‘.
It is widely believed that Barrister died at  St Mary’s hospital, Praed Street around Paddington in London.  But a spokesperson at the hospital who gave her name as Caroline, tells our sources, ‘I have gotten a lot of phone calls concerning this but I am sorry, I cannot give any information on any of our patients because of our confidentiality agreement.’
Barrister is mostly remembered for his moster hit Fuji Garbage. Believed to be the ‘originator’ of the genre, he took to music full time after a short stint in the military (1967-1970).

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