The children of veteran Nigerian Juju and Highlife musician, Iyun Janet Ajilore, popularly known as Saint Janet, have revealed how the singer spent her final hours, saying she complained of chest pain and struggled to breathe before she died at a hospital.
The revelation was made by her children, Omowunmi, Orinayo and Fola Ayilore, during a recent interview with Alore TV.
According to Omowunmi, Saint Janet had performed at an overnight show in Sango, Ogun State, the previous night and appeared perfectly fine throughout the event.
“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 said her mother went to the market the following day and returned home at about 6pm, after which she insisted on preparing her own meal.
She said it was while the singer was moving around the house after cooking that she noticed something was wrong.
“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,” Omowunmi said.
She said Saint Janet subsequently asked to be taken to hospital.
According to her, her uncle and three of her siblings took the singer to the hospital, where she was admitted and given oxygen within minutes.
Her son, Orinayo, said the singer was attended to immediately 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 arrived at the hospital after being informed that her mother was unwell, only to discover that she had died.
“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 food stuff. I also saw the soup she was preparing. They came to call me that she was dead,” she said.
Fola described Saint Janet as a caring mother who was deeply concerned about the welfare of those around her.
“She was a good mother. She always ensured that people around her eat,” she said.
The singer’s manager also said she had shown no visible sign of illness during her final performance in Sango.
He recalled that after performing, Saint Janet returned to sit among the audience and interacted with the event organiser.
“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.
The manager said Saint Janet also called him on the day of her death and told him she was preparing soup before promising to call him back.
Her death was earlier announced by publisher and socialite Otunba Femi Davies, who described the singer as a popular Juju and Highlife musician renowned for her vibrant performances and distinctive stage presence.
Saint Janet was an established figure in Yoruba popular music whose career attracted both a loyal audience and considerable scholarly attention because of her distinctive blend of Juju, Highlife and gospel influences.
Her provocative musical style, particularly her use of humour and sexually suggestive themes, became a defining part of her public identity and placed her among the more unconventional female voices in contemporary Yoruba music.
The family has since constituted a committee to oversee her burial arrangements.
A nine-day period of prayers and thanksgiving has also commenced, while her funeral has been scheduled for August 25 and 26.
The family has appealed for prayers as relatives, colleagues and admirers prepare to bid farewell to the veteran performer.
