Ofori Amponsah
Veteran musician, Ofori Amponsah, has revealed that the late highlife legend, Daddy Lumba, foresaw the turmoil that would erupt after his death, insisting the late icon even sang about it in one of his songs.
Speaking on Talkertainment with Elsie Lamar on GhanaWeb TV, Ofori Amponsah said the scale of the chaos surrounding Daddy Lumba’s funeral did not surprise him, describing it as the price of greatness.
“Greatness attracts these kinds of things. I know everybody wants a piece of this great man. I believe he knew that when he’s not around, something of this sort will happen,” he said.
The musician, who described himself as “not part of the family, just a ‘son’, warned that the public dispute among Daddy Lumba’s relatives risks damaging the legacy the celebrated artiste spent decades building.
According to Ofori Amponsah, disagreements over funeral arrangements and rites should have been handled privately to protect both the family’s dignity and the emotional wellbeing of Daddy Lumba’s children.
“This is the time for them to sit down carefully. The legacy he left is for the children and the family. Any misunderstanding should be settled in the backyard,” he urged.
Ofori Amponsah, who has previously described working with Daddy Lumba as the peak of his career, added that he hopes the late musician will one day be honoured with a mausoleum.
“I am envisioning that one day I will see a mausoleum of this great man, and I’ll be the first person to visit,” he said.
His comments come against the backdrop of a highly publicised legal battle that followed Daddy Lumba’s death on July 26, 2025. The Kumasi and Accra High Courts were drawn into a flurry of injunctions and lawsuits over funeral arrangements, widowhood rites and custody of the musician’s remains.
An injunction filed by Daddy Lumba’s legally married wife, Akosua Serwaa, sought to halt funeral preparations and assert her role in widowhood rites, but it was dismissed by the Kumasi High Court.
Days later, maternal relatives secured another injunction to block the release of the body, but it was lifted hours after they failed to pay a GH¢2 million compensation for costs incurred.
The funeral eventually took place on December 13 in Kumasi, though notable absences included some members of the family, particularly Daddy Lumba’s legal wife.