By ALEX ENEBELI

Veteran Nollywood actress, Patience Ozokwor, says she is downcast and hurt by the news of the death of music icon, Onyeka Onwenu.

Onwenu reportedly collapsed after performing at the 80th birthday party of Stella Okolie, Chief Executive Officer of Emzor Pharmaceuticals, on Tuesday in Lagos.

She was said to have been rushed to Reddington Hospital, where she reportedly passed away.

Reacting to Onwenu’s death to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Enugu, Ozokwor described it as painful and hurting.

“Onyeka is not just a colleague but a friend. I am downcast now and hurting because of her death and for the fact that she was not sick.

“How can everyone be dying like that, what is causing so much death? Everyone is stressed up in this country,” she said.

NAN reports that Onwenu was born in 1952.

She began her music career in the 1980s and released her debut album, “For the Love of You,” in 1981.

She has since released numerous albums and singles, including the hit song, “One Love”.

Onwenu has also acted in several Nollywood films and won numerous awards for her contributions to music and film.

In addition to her entertainment career, Onwenu has also been involved in politics.

She was appointed as the Chairperson of the Imo State Council for Arts and Culture in 2013 and later became the Director-General of the National Centre for Women Development in 2016.

She was awarded the National Honours of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR) in 2011. (NAN)

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