Ghanaian Highlife legend, Charles Kwadwo Fosu, affectionately known as Daddy Lumba, has passed on.
The iconic highlife musician died in the early hours of Saturday, July 26, 2025, at the Bank Hospital in Accra aged 60.
Daddy Lumba was receiving medical care at the facility for an undisclosed condition.
Family sources have revealed that he was admitted a few days earlier and died at dawn on Saturday.
In an official statement released through the law firm Baba Jamal & Associates, the family paid tribute to his legacy, describing him as a national treasure and a powerful voice in Ghanaian music.
“Daddy Lumba was more than a musician; he was a cultural icon whose music touched countless lives.
“His soulful voice provided the soundtrack to our love stories, and his poignant lyrics captured the poetry of our struggles, dreams, and resilience,” the statement read.
The statement was signed by Fati Ali Yallah, Esq., counsel for the Fosu family.
The family has requested privacy as they mourn their son, adding that funeral details will be communicated in due course.
He is married with children.
His passing marks the end of an era in highlife music, as generations of Ghanaians mourn the loss of one of the country’s most influential and enduring performers.
Profile
Daddy Lumba (born 29 September 1964) was a Ghanaian singer-songwriter and musician, and has about 34 albums to his name. Born Charles Kwadwo Fosu, he is widely regarded as the greatest Ghanaian musician of all time.
Daddy Lumba’s music career started at the age of 16. In JuabJuaben SHS, he formed the Lumba Brothers group with his friends Yaw and Kwabena and his girlfriend, Theresa Abebrese.
After school, with the help of Theresa, Daddy Lumba travelled to Germany to seek greener pastures.
In Germany, he met Ernest Nana Acheampong. Nana had already formed a group called Talking Dreams with a white man.
The only thing Lumba knew at the time was gospel music, and he has credited Nana Acheampong with introducing him to highlife music.
They formed another group called Lumba Brothers, the same name as his first group when he was in Juaben SHS.
The pair planned to release an album in 1986, but due to financial constraints, the album was released in 1989 with the help of Lumba’s wife, Akosua Serwaa, who produced the album. The title of the album is Yɛɛyɛ Aka Akwantuo Mu.
Daddy Lumba, in all, has released 33 albums. The albums include critically acclaimed ones such as Aben Wɔha, Awosuɔ, Obi Ate Me So Buɔ, Sika Asɛm and Ebi Se Ɛyɛ Aduro.
In 1999, he won three awards, including Best Album, Artist of the Year and the Most Popular Song of the Year at the Ghana Music Awards. Before the year 2002, Daddy Lumba came out every year with a hit album.
His solo career has not been devoid of controversy; one moment, he would release a gospel album, and the next, he would shock people with his provocative lyrics and music videos
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