The family of veteran Nigerian Juju and Highlife musician, Iyun Janet Ajilore, popularly known as Saint Janet, has opened up about the events leading to her death.
The singer’s children disclosed in an interview with Alore TV that their mother complained of chest pain and developed breathing difficulties shortly before she died.
Her daughter, Omowunmi, said Saint Janet had performed at a show in Sango, Ogun State, the night before her death and appeared perfectly well.
“She performed the previous night. People even celebrated her with applause. We did not suspect anything. After the show, we came home and slept. The show was overnight,” she said.
Omowunmi explained that her mother went to the market the following day and returned home at about 6pm. She then decided to prepare food herself.
According to her, she later noticed Saint Janet holding her chest and struggling to breathe.
“After she finished cooking, she checked around the house to see if there was anything else for her to do. I later noticed she was holding her chest. She said she felt like something wanted to drop off her chest. Her breathing was no longer regular,” she said.
The singer subsequently asked her family to take her to hospital.
“It was my uncle and my three other siblings that took her to the hospital. They said when they got to the hospital, it was not up to 10 minutes that she was admitted and was given oxygen,” Omowunmi added.
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Her son, Orinayo, said the singer received immediate medical attention but later lost her pulse.
“I was told that she was having difficulty in breathing. We took her to the hospital, and she was being attended to immediately. It was when they were looking for pulse that she gave up,” he said.
Another daughter, Fola, said she only learnt of her mother’s death after arriving at the hospital.
“She complained of chest pain. It is my sister that can explain better. She was not sick. They said she went to the market to buy foodstuff. I also saw the soup she was preparing. They came to call me that she was dead,” she said.
Fola remembered Saint Janet as a devoted mother who cared deeply about those around her.
“She was a good mother. She always ensured that people around her eat,” she said.
The late singer’s manager also confirmed that she showed no apparent signs of illness during her final performance in Sango.
“We went for a show at Sango. After performing, she went back to sit among the audience, and she spoke with the organiser. She sang well and did not show any sign of sickness,” he said.
He added that Saint Janet contacted him on the day of her death, telling him she was preparing soup and would call him later.
Following her death, the family has constituted a committee to coordinate her burial arrangements. A nine-day prayer and thanksgiving programme has also commenced, while her funeral has been scheduled for August 25 and 26.
Saint Janet’s death was announced on Sunday by publisher and socialite Otunba Femi Davies, who described her as a popular Juju and Highlife musician renowned for her energetic performances.
Davies wrote, “St Janet (Iyun Janet Ajilore), a popular Nigerian Juju and Highlife musician known for her vibrant live performances, energetic stage presence and socially unfiltered party tracks, is dead. She died after a brief illness on Saturday.”
The veteran singer was widely respected within Nigeria’s Juju music scene for her distinctive style and lively stage performances.