Christian Longomba of ‘Vuta Pumz’ hit song dies

By Nyaboga Kiage and Brian Okoth

One half of the Longomba brothers, Christian Longomba, is dead.

Christian, who was once a member of the Longombas duet comprising of two brothers, died on Saturday, March 13 in Los Angeles, United States of America, his sister, Jessy Jones, said on Facebook.

Jones said Christian, who has been undergoing treatment for a recurrent brain tumor, succumbed to the complications a few minutes to 7pm East African Time. He had been admitted to a Los Angeles hospital.

The late artiste’s brother, Lovy, who completed the other half of the Longombas group, was at his bedside when he died, said Jessy Jones.

Lovy took to his Facebook page on Saturday night to confirm news of Christian's demise.

“To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. I love you Christian, my brother, my friend and partner, but Jesus loves you more. Enjoy heaven,” he wrote.

Gospel artiste Daddy Owen was among the first musicians in Kenya to mourn Christian.

Taking to his Facebook page on Saturday night, Daddy Owen said: “R.I.P Christian Longomba. This is just sad. This guy (Christian), his late mum and his brother @prophetlovy gave me most of my nicknames, from Papa Fololo and the rest... Oh no.”

On May 18, 2015, Christian Longomba suffered a seizure, leading to his hospitalisation. Paramedics rushed him to hospital where he was diagnosed with falx and parassagittal meningiomas.

According to his relative Lovy Longomba, neurosurgeons discovered a large tumor close to his sinuses.

“The doctors, after thorough tests, explained that the tumor had covered part of his parietal lobe and was mostly on the frontal lobe. After receiving his diagnosis, Christian launched into perhaps his most challenging endeavor – starting his journey in the treatment of his brain tumor,” said Lovy in 2015.

It took slightly over two weeks for the musician to start the surgical process, and he finally went under the knife on May 29, 2015.

Though the surgery was successful, Christian had to undergo a second operation after doctors found blood clots in his brain.

According to his family, doctors said at the time, the singer still needed to go through six weeks of radiation to completely rid him of the tumor.

Christian’s family, at the time, appealed for support toward meeting his medical bill, explaining that the specialised treatment came at a hefty cost.

“Christian has a huge medical bill of almost $20,000 (Ksh2 million). When Kenyans come together, they do wonders. Let us do it for Christian. Let the harambee spirit of pulling and pooling together rally us,” he said.

A friend of the family consequently kicked off an online funds drive on Go Fund Me.

Some of Christian and Lovy Longombas' chart-topping songs included: 'Vuta Pumz', 'Dondosa', 'Piga Makofi', 'Queen', 'Usinihande', 'Shika More', 'Chukua', among others.