Sensational RnB singer, Otile Brown has revealed that most artistes may face mental illness at one point in their lives but opening up, is tough.
Live on radio, making reference to the late Papa Dennis, Otile admitted that speaking out, with your kind of popularity is a hard puzzle to crack.
Unaona kama issue iliyotokea juzi na rest in peace Papa Dennis. Unakuta kwamba unaweza kuwa wewe ni msanii lakini kuna vitu ambavyo vinaendelea katika maisha yako, si kifedha ama vitu kama hivyo.
The late Papa Dennis
First, being a celebrity, you don´t know who to fully trust. Second, the kind of backlash the public will give you after opening up, can drain your energy completely.
Ila huwezi ongea maana wewe ni msanii alafu kuna vile watu huwa wameshakuchukulia na shemu ambayo watu wamekuweka tayari. Na unahisi kwamba huwezi ukamfuata mtu ukamuelezea shida zako.
However, it is speaking up and sharing your agonies that actually heals an individual but trust is an issue.
Saa zingine unataka tu mtu akushauri. Maana kule kuongea kunatuliza roho coz the moment unazitoa moyoni unabaki na amani. Lakini unashindwa mtu ambaye unaeza share naye hivyo vitu maana hujui umuamini nani. Some people may come and listen to you but all they want is to spread information about you.
Opening up as a celebrity is tough – Otile Brown
He cited his own case, having faced depression but is positively responding to the same.
So kwa muda mrefu mwenzenu nimegundua kwamba niko depressed for instance, like Papa Dennis’ case, when you talk, one finds peace but as an artiste. But you don’t know who to trust because you are not sure who is your friend.
Details surrounding the demise of gospel artiste, Papa Dennis, keep emerging and leaving fresh scars each day.
News reports have been rife that the late singer had been facing tough times before his untimely death.
This is after his contract with financier, Maliza Umaskini record label, lapsed and he had to exit.
Papa Dennis allegedly faced tough financial times after his exit at Maliza Umaskini records
Financial reports
Upcoming gospel artiste, Red Pen shared more details regarding Papa Dennis´ financial state, before the Friday night incident.
It emerges that soon after his contract expired, Papa Dennis dived into problems.
I used to live with Papa Dennis in the same house. We stayed in Komarock for about two years before I moved out.
Papa Dennis faced financial struggles – Red Pen reveals
In a previous interview with Pulse, Papa Dennis had shared:
The cash I have is just like that Davido and the rest of the musicians have. No big deal.
But Red Ben reveals:
Papa Dennis was facing several problems. He had difficulties paying rent for the house he was living in with his twin brother.
His problems then channeled to his girlfriend, before he became unable to even put food on the table.
Afterwards,Papa Dennis started having issues with his girlfriend – Red Pen spills
Unfortunately, there was no close family member within Nairobi, that Papa Dennis could depend on financially.
Afterwards, he started having issues with his girlfriend. Every time he called me in recent times, he would ask for money to go buy food.
Speaking of how the late artist desired to have a family, Red Ben recalled their last conversation, airing:
The last time we spoke, he commented on how grown my son is, saying that he also wanted to have a child of his own.
Management
Despite the pomp and color the music industry tends to display, kwa ground, vitu ni different.
Papa Dennis also urged me not to get signed to a record label because of the travails he had undergone.
The late Papa Dennis during his ¨Wonder¨ video hit
Papa Dennis shocking demise sparked debate regarding Kenyan artistes and mismanagement by record labels.
The singer´s former financier, Sadat Muhindi of Maliza Umaskini record label, however shed light on the same stating that Papa´s contract ran from 2013 till March 2019.
We sat down, discussed and agreed it was time for him to go and further his career having nurtured him from the time he was upcoming to an established artiste. We did this to offer a platform for other upcoming artistes.
Papa Dennis (right) with his former financier, Sadat Muhindi of Maliza Umaskini records, previously
Daddy Owen
In a recent interview with SDE, fellow gospel singer, Daddy Owen insisted that the blame should not be pinned on anyone since both managements and artistes go wrong.
There are rouge managers and there are rogue artistes. I know cases where businessmen have invested in artists only for them to disappear. Most of the time, the artistes’ stories on being mismanaged get out since they are well-known whilst most of the managers who have been short-changed keep quiet.
There are rouge managers and there are rogue artistes – Daddy Owen (right)
His advice being that formal contracts should always be signed before any engagements are made between an artist and a management.
Simon Mwangi, twin brother to gospel star, Papa Dennis has narrated the string of events that happened that fateful night before the artist met his death.
Speaking exclusively to K24, Simon stated that on Friday, they hang out before Papa left for the studios.
I was at Jamhuri with Papa Dennis earlier Friday. He left and went to Pangani. At around 9 pm, I joined him in Pangani. He had asked me to take him his passport. After accessing the studio, I went and greeted other people, who were in a different room.
Simon even hang out with Papa´s friends while Papa Dennis carried on with his work. But after a while, Simon decided to check on his brother.
I spent time with his friends, and later decided to look for my brother. I went to the recording booth, he wasn´t there. I accessed the kitchen, he wasn´t there. I went to the washroom, I did not find him there.
I spent time with his friends, and later decided to look for my brother but could not find him – Papa Dennis´ twin brother
Simon then thought that Papa had probably gone out to look for some food and would be back shortly.
After failing to find him in all the rooms of the studio, I thought he had gone to the shop to get something. The producer´s phone calls to Papa went through, but he did not pick up. His producer and I waited for him for hours, but he did not return.
Too long
After long hours, Simon decided to go to Papa´s producer and ask him to tell the artist to come with food from outside, but no call was answered.
After waiting for Papa Dennis for long without seeing him, the studio manager known as Luva called the producer and told him that he had been informed by security guards manning Kirima building that the body of a youthful man resembling Papa Dennis had been found lying on a ground near the building.
¨We rushed out. The caretaker told us that he had heard a person thud against the ground from the upper floors¨ Papa´s twin brother added.
A youthful man resembling Papa Dennis had been found lying on a ground near the building
On rushing out:
We confirmed that the victim was Papa Dennis, my brother. He was still alive at the time. We called different ambulance services, but they took long to respond. We flagged down an ambulance that was driving past the scene, but it did not stop. Another drove past the area, and it stopped. The medics examined Papa Dennis and told me: Your brother is dead, we are sorry.
Same delays encountered with the police:
Police officers from Pangani took hours to come to the scene to collect the body.
A grieving Simon only urged:
Let us join hands to give Papa Dennis a proper send-off.
Papa Dennis body was transferred to City Mortuary as his postmortem is set to be conducted today.
Kenyan gospel musician, Papa Dennis met his untimely death on Friday night and his ex-cum-confidant, Martha Wajero spills the beans.
Martha Wajero, known to many having been a Machachari actress, before her exit, shared a close friendship and even a relationship at one time, with Papa.
Apparently, the two communicated on a daily basis though it was a while since they met up physically.
Martha claims the artiste alleged he was seeing things and people wanting to kill him, as she told Word Is.
We talk every day and I communicated with Papa even in that fateful night and I remember him telling me he was seeing things and people wanting to kill him.
The pair was set to meet on Friday but due to busy schedules, Martha who was in Kisumu, could not make it to Nairobi as planned.
He kept on calling and apologizing that day and wanted us to meet.
The two shared a close friendship for more than five years – that saw them get intimate for a while, before coming down to friendship.
At some point, we dated then on the way, we realized we could only become friends but he took me more seriously than just a friend because we worked together a lot.
Details
Martha described Papa Dennis as a caring and loving person, who always wished people the best in life.
But she deeply regrets having ignored the seriousness of their meet-up, only to cost his death in the end.
He always came through in so many ways and wanted me to be great. Papa was a nice person and it is still haunting me that I did not give him the chance to open up to me on what was troubling him. I never took him seriously when he said we needed to meet.
Gospel musician, Papa Dennis passes on in controversial circumstances
Tribute
The actress penned a moving tribute to a dear friend, who she will forever miss.
I knew you for 5 years you have been a very loving caring and tender soul. You battled depression despite me being there. You have always been a shining star amongst many you had a bright future ahead of you because you were always hardworking and ambitious.
As you served God in your songs and touched many souls may God comfort your soul and may you rest in peace you have been a legend, a role model to many and a star. May you fly with angles I will always remember you and I will miss you.
