The great guitarist passed in the mid-80's when lots of people and artists passed away from AIDS in very high numbers. He would've been up there with Rigo Star as a preferred session artist due to his extrodinary skill.

A long time ago I heard from his daughter on what happen to him, as career wasn't as well documented as other Zaiko members. He was 36:

Salut,

Je me permet de répondre à la question de romarike car les causes du décès de mon père sont restées mystérieuses parce qu'il est mort du SIDA. Comme tout le monde le sait c'est une maladie qui dans les années 80 était tabou (aujourd'hui aussi) ; je pense que c'est restée sous silence par rapport à ça.

Si je me permet de donner les raisons de son décès c'est pour rappeler à tous que c'est une maladie qui fait des ravages.

Pour ma part, je suis une miraculée et OUI je fais partis des enfants nés de parents malades du VIH qui n'ont pas cette maladie destructrice.

C'est avec émotion que je réponds à ta question car j'ai perdu mon artiste de père et ma magnifique maman.

Un grand merci d'immortaliser ainsi ce grand artiste qui est mon père. Je n'ai pas eu la chance de le connaître car il est mort alors que je n'avais que 7 mois.

En tous cas je suis fière de voir qu'il reste dans les mémoires de certains.

R.I.P. his was a big songwriter.

Ive always wonder how the other ones passed out : Shiro,Alpha,Enoch Boanga Omer,Lofanga,Baroza Matima etc in less than 7 years they lost just as many members and very talented

Ive always wonder how the other ones passed out : Shiro,Alpha,Enoch Boanga Omer,Lofanga,Baroza Matima etc in less than 7 years they lost just as many members and very talented

People always claims that Nyoka Longo sacrified them, but that is not true. They died because of AIDS, since that they were all sharing the same girls. Their wives also died shortly after their death. It's so sad

@mvulusi96

The 80s were a tough decade for music all over the world, the HIV/AIDS epidemic robbed many artist of long and promising careers!

Does anyone know why Docteur Nico passed away so young? I hear many things like AIDS or alcoholism being the cause. Around a year or so before his death, he just stopped producing music...my guess is he had a health crisis from which he never recovered.

Back in that time when it was new & taboo - even though someone was clearly suffering from AIDS, people would go to great lengths never to publicly comfirm it. That last Franco interview with Lukunku Sampu still haunts me.

So sad for me to have to post this, but look at Dr. Nico's final performance below. Not only did he show symptons of AIDS, he was also broke at the time, so no means of paying for medical expenses. He actually died from of a syrose of liver because of alcholism (depression) before succumbing to AIDS, so very very sad. He was doomed either way. The label he was signed to went bankrupt in the mid-70's and he never recovered from that.


The godfather, Le Grand Kallé Kabasele (RIP) also supposedly died from the disease in 1983, also broke and unable to pay for medical expenses on his own. In 1982-83, people weren't really aware yet of AIDS even though it was taking lots lives, so early on people thought it was sacrifices since it's an easy excuse.

So sad Dr Nico & Grand Kalle had to be millionaires. Someone who was close to Dr Nico's family said on Mbokamosika that Sonodisc/Sono (aka Next Music) became bankrupt, because that Nico's family sued them after that they discovered that they earned them alot of royalties and they won the proces. Wazekwa and an journalist once said that the politicians in DRC don't want that the problems about copyrights of fixed. Because they don't want to see musicians being richer then them and grab their wives or sidekicks. Tabu Ley, Franco, Dr Nico, Grand Kalle and many others of their generations had problems with policitians about that. One of the reasons that Dr Nico's career ended early is because he made a girl of the Sakombi's family pregnant. Which made the Sakombi's doing everything to complicate his career and life. With Dr Nico ending up broke. The Sakombi's were one of the power families during Mobutu's regime, they made many victimes.

Dr Nico's problems with alcohol started early. Tabu Ley mocked him about that in the song Likala Moto.



People complain about Ferre dissing Werrason in Vieux Jaloux. But Tabu Ley dissed his former mentor Grand Kalle in Palmares, saying that he was finished and ridiculed him in many interviews.



Many people said that Dr Nico's problem with alcohol became worser, because of his wife who was always cheeting on him. He made several songs about his relationship problems.

@Matebu

Lord have mercy, Matebu! Dr. Nico was certainly near death in that footage, he's so gaunt!

@mvulusi96

Wow, thank you brother for the insight! Even if they had money, ignorance of the disease would have taken them anyway. Plus, the medical help that would have prolonged life wasn't around at that time. Many in America and Europe were dying as well, because they too didn't know about the disease and how to treat it upon catching it.

Another thing about that time was if you were absent from Kinshasa from a long time (no internet), it was very easy to make false rumours that an artist either died from AIDS or was arrested in Europe regarding illegal immigration.

Side story:
That was the basis for Koffi's hit songs "Ngulupa (The Relevant)" & "Dieu voit Tout" that directly ended rumors that he died from AIDS. It was even reported that his mother believed the rumors and was very distraught. He once said in the interview that was the watching 80's hit show "Dallas" when a friend told him that his family thought he died from SIDA.

After that he decided to base operations in Kinshasa from Henriquet/Elle et moi/Golden Star era onwards. He would record in Paris, hold concerts, then return to Kin instead of staying for months on end.