Rama Isibo, a song writer and former columnist at The New Times, died at University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (CHUK), on February 11. He was 46.
Rama has been writing songs over the past decade and was regarded among the best composers in Rwanda’s music industry.
Along with writing songs, Rama collaborated with rappers on freestyle sessions, open mic events, and spoken word performances.
In an interview with The New Times, DJ Pius, who was a close friend of Rama, said: "We have been friends for at least 15 years and had many songs we worked on together. This is a hard time for everyone who knew Rama,” he said.
He added that there are a lot of things to remember about him but "it’s not easy to say anything at this time.”
On his Instagram page DJ Pius posted, "My best friend, the best song writer in Rwanda, the genius. Remember the name Isibo Rama, Buravan will be making hits with you again in my absence.”
Rama was one of Rwanda’s top songwriters who had passion for poetry and was once a columnist at The New Times Publications.
ALSO READ: To Alex Isibo-Rutimirwa - In loving Memory
It was not immediately possible to get a comment from his family but a close friend said he had been rushed to CHUK on Thursday afternoon after he was found almost unconscious in his bedroom at his home in Kicukiro District.
A few years ago Rama Isibo had suffered complications that saw him undergo a pacemaker implantation in the UK.
A family statement released earlier Saturday confirmed his death, noting, "It is will great sadness that we announce the death of Rama Isibo on 11th February 2023 following a short illness."
"He&039;ll be dearly missed," it added.
Some of the hit songs written by him include ‘Sawa Sawa’ by Bruce Melodie featuring Khaligraph Jones, ‘Déjà Vu’ sung by the late Buravan on Madebeats album dubbed, ‘Made in Kigali’.
He also worked closely with producer Madebeats, and wrote many songs for different artistes that are not yet released.
The producer also paid his tributes by posting on his social media handles. "Rest in peace my brother Rama Isibo, a true genius. You wrote and composed ‘Déjà vu’ on my album ft Buravan. We just lost a real one.”
Rama also had a blog where he shared ideas and other topics about life. He used his twitter account to share insights about the country’s development.
One of his last tweets he envisioned interviewing some Rwandan CEOs about their leadership styles.
"This year I hope to interview several Rwandan CEOs and leaders on their concepts of leadership and how to achieve. Hopefully it will be a full range of experience and educational,” he tweeted.