Jean-Louis Kagahe, father of singer and songwriter Calvin Kagahe Ngabo, also known as Young CK, who tragically passed away in Ottawa, Canada on September 17, opened up about his son’s life, dreams and indescribable pain of losing him.

Despite Young CK’s short time in the spotlight, his name appears to be one that will not be forgotten anytime soon. The late rapper relocated to Ottawa, Canada in 2017, and by the time of his death he was pursuing his studies at Algonquin College. There, Young CK lived with his mother and elder brother, Kevin Floris Kagahe.

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About his death

The grieving father, who is in Rwanda, told The New Times that he received the sad news on the morning of September 18, from his brother-in-law, who also lives in Canada.

"When I received an unexpected and unusual call from my brother-in-law, and I immediately got goosebumps and felt extremely scared. He told me that on that fateful night, Nikita (his nickname at home) returned home with his friend who seemed drunk. After dropping him, he left but did not say where he was going. After a while, his brother Kevin tried to call him but was unable to pick his recurring calls.”

"They then searched everywhere and contacted his friends to see if he had gone back to have some more fun, but he was nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, as they looked for him, they unexpectedly came across his phone and ID left somewhere. This made them really concerned, so they called the police for help.”

"The law enforcers joined the search and after a couple of hours he was found dead. They immediately took his body for autopsy to identify what really cut his life short. We are now waiting for the official statement from the authorities to know the full details of this tragic incident. This could take two to three days,” Kagahe shared.

The cause of his untimely death is still under investigation.

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Young CK’s early life and Music passion

Born on January 23, 2000, in Nyamirambo, a suburb in Nyarugenge District, Kigali City, Young CK studied nursery school at Kivugiza, primary at Camp Kigali and Charles Lwanga. He later joined Ecole de Science de Gisenyi before he was admitted to King David Academy and later on IPRC Kicukiro for high school, which he completed it at St Pius in Canada.

"He was a brilliant kid and naturally hands on. I sometimes told him that soon he would be a mechanic. Soon enough he developed a penchant for music, singing at every chance he got and I admired his beautiful voice,” Kagahe recalled.

"My beloved son drew his inspiration from family members who are naturally connected to music roots. His uncles including Masamba Intore and myself have an artistic spirit. So, when he released his debut song ‘Umugabo’ I immediately connected the dots and knew that music was his calling too,” he added.

The 60-year-old described his deceased son as reserved in nature but a wise soul who would speak for effect. He spoke only when his views were useful and loved everyone, especially family.

"If you observe, some of his songs like ‘Umugabo’, ‘Umurava’,’Ndi powa’ and others spoke his feelings, thoughts and would convey different messages about his life.”

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A void that will never be filled

"Before relocating to Canada, we often went out to have fun. He has a silent face but busy mind. The bond he had with his brother was too tight, I am not sure how he will recover from this time of grief.”

On my part, I was expecting him in Kigali before the end of this year and he had promised to invite me to watch him perform live. I was also composing a song for him, unfortunately he is gone, and I will never recover from it,” he said.