Majek Fashek: Nigerian Reggae Star of Send Down the Rain Dies at 57

Majek Fashek was a Nigerian reggae singer, songwriter and guitarist known as "The Rainmaker" and often compared to Bob Marley. Born Majekodunmi Fasheke on March 6, 1963, in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria, he began performing in the early 1980s with the group Jah Stix.

Fashek went solo in 1987 and released Prisoner of Conscience, and his song "Send Down the Rain" became the most popular song in Nigeria in 1988. In 1989 he won six PMAN awards and released I & I Experience, which included the anti-apartheid song "Free Africa, Free Mandela." He signed with Interscope Records in the early 1990s and appeared on Late Night with David Letterman in 1992.

Fashek collaborated with artists including Tracy Chapman and Jimmy Cliff. He spoke publicly about his struggles with addiction in 2015 and returned to music after rehabilitation. In 2019 he was hospitalized in London, and businessman Femi Otedola paid his medical bills. He died in New York City on June 1, 2020, at age 57, after battling esophageal cancer.

Achievements: "Send Down the Rain" (1988), six PMAN awards (1989), signed with Interscope Records, appeared on Late Night with David Letterman (1992).

Birth: March 6, 1963 - Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria.

Profession: Reggae singer, songwriter and guitarist.

Interesting Facts: His 1997 album Rainmaker was released on Tuff Gong, Bob Marley's label. He was a pioneer of Nigerian reggae.