On year later: The death of Goldie Harvey still stings in the hearts of family, friends and fans
A flood of tears and tributes poured in about a year ago, on Thursday, February 14, 2013, when it was announced that Nigerian superstar singer, Goldie, had passed away.
Born Susan Oluwabunmi Filani, the late
singer was bubbly, adventurous, full of life, and ready to take over the
African music scene with her charm and infectious personality.
Goldie attended the 55th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. Photo: Twitter
How she died
She had just returned from attending the 55th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles when she gave up the ghost after complaining of a severe headache. A few minutes after 10pm, Goldie was pronounced dead on arrival at Reddington Hospital, Victoria Island.
This
picture served as the lead photo NET used in publishing the special
report on Goldie’s death. Left: A photo of the SUV used in carrying her
dead body from Reddington Hospital at Ikoyi to the morgue at Ikeja.
Photo: Filed photo
What caused her death
It was reported that the singer suffered from deep vein thrombosis, resulting from pulmonary embolism — a sudden blockage of a lung artery as a result of a 12-hour flight from the US to Lagos.
Goldie was buried at Vaults and Gardens, Ikoyi, Lagos
Her Burial
The burial ceremony of the late pop singer held at the Vaults and Gardens, located in Ikoyi, Lagos Island on Monday, February 25, 2013. Family members, colleagues, friends and acquaintances gathered as the late singer was laid to rest. In attendance were eLDee, Kenny and ID Ogungbe, label mates, Capital FEMI, Joe EL and Jaywon. Tiwa Savage, Dele Momodu, OJB Jezreel, Gbenga Adeyinka and Dele Momodu and many others…
Despite harsh criticisms on her music, Goldie was fearless and fully committed to her career as a musician and performer
Her music career
Goldie Susan Harvey was a terrific
entertainer who passionately strived for years to actualise her dreams,
not minding criticisms. She grew up in a family that made sure her life
revolved around church activities, yet against all odds and the wishes
of her strict father, she found herself gravitating towards secular
entertainment. With the encouragement of Cool FM’s Manny, she launched a
music career and in less than five years had made a mark on the
Nigerian music industry.
Her bold and colourful videos, exuberant
personality and animated performances were just a few of the unique
traits that propelled her to the apex of her career and cemented her
position as a true pop-diva. Goldie exuded a personality that sometimes
flitted between stark eccentricity and extraordinary creativity, factors
that endeared many to her.
Goldie made Prezzo her ‘man’ and go-to guy while in the Big Brother House
Big Brother Stargame participation and Prezzo
Africa got a first-hand feel of her when
Goldie represented Nigeria on the 2012 Big Brother reality show, where
she played a mother-like role to most of the housemates. She was constantly in the company of Kenyan rapper, Prezzo, with many speculating that they would eventually hook up and probably get married. She was heart-wrenched when Prezzo got evicted, and would go on to become the last person to be evicted from the house.
The
world was shocked when a certain Andrew Harvey surfaced hours after
Goldie’s burial to claim he was legally married to the singer
Post-demise revelations
After her demise, several previously unknown details about her life began to surface. First came Andrew Harvey, who claimed to be Goldie’s legitimate husband. In
an exclusive interview with NET, Harvey revealed his relationship with
the singer and further backed his claims by posting several pictures of
both of them, including wedding pictures.
Questions began to pop up from various
quarters, as several people wondered what the whole fuss over ‘Prezzo’
(her Big Brother housemate/rumoured boyfriend) was if she was indeed
married, but Goldie wasn’t here to give answers.
Shortly after featuring in BBA; Goldie began recording an ‘African Invasion’ album
After the Big Brother show and the
exposure she got from the continent, Goldie finalised plans to embark on
an Africa-conquering quest, which would have firmly secured her
reputation as an artiste on the African stage. In fact, she was more
than ready as she had already recorded a number of songs, including ‘Miliki’ with Ugandan artist, Navio, and ‘Ika Maarun’ featuring South African artist, Anatti and the hit track ‘Skibobo’ with feat Tanzanian act AY. Sadly,
she was not around to personally promote the songs, which could have
possibly cemented her standing as a top female African artist.
Part of the properties auctioned at Goldie’s house
Family auctioned her properties
Her family auctioned Goldie’s properties on Wednesday, May 1, 2013.
The auction was held at her residence, Ologunkutere Street, Parkview
Estate, Ikoyi, as friends, fans and admirers of the late singer came in
to buy various items, with many hoping to keep them as souvenirs.
Goldie’s costumes were given to the Theatre Arts Department of the
University of Lagos, Akoka and some of her books were given to the
Technology Department of the Yaba College of Technology.
Andrew Harvey and his fiancé Beth Buenaventura
Her husband re-marrying
On August 3, 2013, late Goldie’s husband, Andrew Harvey celebrated his birthday at the Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur. He later posted photos of him kissing a lady who was wearing a ring on her left hand, prompting rumours he’s remarrying. It was later discovered that the lady in question is a Malaysia-based Filipino woman named Beth Buenaventura.
According to her Facebook profile, Buenaventura hails from Quezon City,
Philippines. She currently works at the Las Carretas Mexican
Restaurants, Kuala Lumpur – Ampang. Beth’s relationship status reads ‘In
a relationship since March 2013′ with Andrew Harvey, which implies that
Andrew moved on barely a month after Goldie’s death.
Goldie pictured here on set with best friend Denrele. The pair had announced their joint TV show
Friends and colleagues still mourn her
Since her death, family, friends,
colleagues and fans have not ceased to mourn her. Former label mates
Essence, Jaywon and Jo-El and others recorded tribute songs for the late
singer. Others, including close friend, Denrele Edun, Karen Igho and
Uti Nwachukwu, have never ceased to mention her. Recently speaking to NET, Uti said, ‘I miss her heart, she was such a kind soul.’ In her memory, her label has just released a mixtape of tribute songs titled ‘Kennis Music Presents DJ Vinnie – Goldie Tribute’, dedicated to Goldie.
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