Ifunanya Nwangene, who is known for her appearance on season 3 of The Voice Nigeria, has died after a snake bite.
Nwangene’ choir director Sam C. Ezugwu confirmed the news in a Facebook post on Sunday (Feb 1), saying Nwangene died Saturday at a Nigerian hospital, describing her death as a “sudden demise.”
“Amemuso Choir regrets to announce the sudden demise of our beloved Soprano, Ifunaya Nwangene,” the post read. “A rising star, Ifunanya was on the cusp of sharing her incredible talent with the world.”
He added, “Her voice and spirit will be deeply missed.”
While Nwangene was sleeping, a snake inside her home bit her, waking her up in the middle of the night, according to BBC Africa. Two snakes were later found inside the house.
After looking for help at a nearby clinic, The Voice star was forced to move to another hospital because of the unavailability of antivenom. She ultimately died before she could receive the treatment she needed.
The singer’s death came three days after teasing a new song with musician Tbrass, who shared a behind the scenes clip of Nwangene recording the track.
“An irreplaceable loss to the Abuja music society and Nigeria at large,” he wrote on Instagram. “My hand and heart feels very heavy writing this, because it is unimaginable losing such a young promising great, talented music artist who touched so many lives, it is very heartbreaking – especially in Nigeria where music runs deep in our souls and connects us all.”
Nwangene first rose to fame on The Voice Nigeria after turning two judges’ chairs with her memorable performance of Rihanna’s Take A Bow. The audition video has been viewed more than 98,000 times on YouTube.
Nwangene was 26 years old. – New York Daily News/Tribune News Service
