Seun Kuti reveals how he coped with loss of parents

Seun Kuti, the singer and youngest son of Fela Kuti, says he did not get complete closure when he lost Fehintola, his mother, unlike the late Afrobeat legend.

The singer lost his father in 1997 while his mum died in 2017. Seun was just 14 and 24 respectively when he lost both parents.

The music star, in a recent interview with Chude Jideonwo, the media personality, said he grieved his father for a long time because he was the closest person to him.

He said his father’s loss was “impactful” because, to him, it seemed like losing a best friend and a family member all at once.

“I grieved for my dad because he was the closest person to me, and he was the first person I know that died, so for me, it was a really impactful experience losing my dad; it was like losing my best friend, my dad, and a family member, all in one. I really grieved for a long time. I grieved my dad,” he said.

Seun said he could not grieve his mother because he was preparing for a tour and there was no time to break down.

He said he is yet to fully process the grieving of his mother. He added that he presently experiences moments of grief for her from time to time.

“The one I did not grieve for was my mom. I could not. I had a tour. There was no time to break down,” he added.

“I think I am grieving my mom in stages; kind of, I have not really had time to really delve into that, but the bad part is past, and I still grieve her from time to time. I do not have complete closure for my mom like I do for my dad.”

In August, Seun and his siblings paid tributes to their father on his 26th death anniversary.

The singer shared a video of his late mum singing in a 2018 remembrance post and wrote “RIP mama”.