The Democratic Republic of the Congo is in deep mourning following the death of another of the country's top musicians, Mekanisi Modero, who was one of its leading saxophonists.
A former member of the legendary Tabu Ley’s Africa International band, Modero, died on Sunday, June 21, 2026, in a Seattle hospital after a long illness.
He was one of the few surviving members of the Afrisa band who remained in the US after Tabu Ley returned to the DRC in 1997 to pursue a career in politics.
Speaking to the Daily Nation by telephone from Seattle, his colleague Wawali Bonane said Modero had succumbed to complications from a stroke.
"We are all saddened by his loss, as he was a guiding figure to us ever since we moved to the USA with Tabu Ley in the early 1990s," he said.
From the 1960s to the late 1980s, Afrisa International and Franco Luambo Makiadi’s TPOK Jazz band were the pillars of Congolese music.
Modero joined Afrisa in the early 1970s and was not only one of the top saxophone players, but also a long-serving band manager and Tabu Ley's right-hand man.
His fluency in English, French, Kiswahili and other languages also enabled him to serve as the MC during most of the group’s foreign concert tours.
Few music fans know that it was Modero who, together with Tabu Ley, coined the stage name Mbilia Bel for Marie-Claire Mboyo Moseka.
He played the saxophone on some of Afrisa International's most popular songs, such as “Maze” and “Ibrahima”. “Sorozo” and “Ibeba”.
He then teamed up with other saxophonists, such as Empopo Loway and Ntumba. He also performed live in Kinshasa with visiting artists such as the legendary Cameroonian saxophonist Manu Dibango and the Nigerian superstar Fela Kuti.
Others who accompanied Tabu Ley to Europe and later the USA include guitarist Huit Kilos, singers Djeffard Lukombo and Chantal, and drummer Parigo Asuka. Sadly, some of them have since passed away.
In an interview with the Daily Nation, UK-based musician Kib Douglas Misapi said that he had learnt with immense sorrow of Modero’s death.
“Modero was a mentor to many of us in the music industry, especially in his efforts to keep the legacy of the Afrisa International band alive,” he said.
Douglas was at the forefront of Modero's final music production, which took place in London in June 2023.
On June 23, he confirmed that former Afrisa International members living in France, led by veteran guitarist Dino Vangu, would be joining him for the funeral arrangements.
UK-based guitarist and producer Fiston Losambo said he had learnt with great sorrow of Modero’s death.
He was among those who took part in Modero’s final recording, titled L'incarnation de Tabu Ley.
Rhumba fans took to social media to mourn Modero. Mombasa-based rhumba fan Geoff Ba-Mkubwa Luyuku said that he would always remember Modero for his soothing saxophone playing and his warm personality.
In Nairobi, Peter Gakenga Githui, also an avid rhumba fan, said it was sad to learn of the death of another rhumba legend.
Another legendary Congolese saxophonist, bandleader and composer, Kiamuangana Verckys Wazolambongo Mateta of Orchestre Veve fame, died on October 13, 2022.
