This archive report was first published on 19 August 2019.
On a fateful Sunday night, John De Mathew, one of Kenya's richest musicians, met his untimely demise in a tragic accident along Thika Road near Blue Post.
Despite his fame and popularity, De Mathew's life remained a mystery to many, with little known about his personal life beyond his music.
However, as we reflect on his legacy, here are five things that shed light on the life of this Kenyan music icon.
De Mathew's real name was John Ng'ang'a Mwangi, a Kikuyu music star whose influence traversed all counties in Kenya.
He hailed from Gatanga in Murang'a County, the same village as Peter Kenneth, and was born over 50 years ago.
Before venturing into the music industry, De Mathew started out as a tomato hawker at Nairobi's Korogocho market in the early 1980s.
He later released his debut single, 'Peris Nduku,' and went on to compose and produce hit songs for over 30 years.
As he once said, 'The song is a love letter to his dead lover whom he promised to join one day after his work on earth is complete.'
De Mathew's success was attributed to other big Kikuyu music legends, including Timona Mburu and Joseph Wamumbe, who guided him in his rise to stardom.
He was also the chairperson of the newly-launched Tamco Sacco, which aimed to uplift the welfare of musicians.
As he stated during the launch, 'We want to come together and join a SACCO to pool resources together so that when we die, our families do not resort to harambees to give us a decent send-off.'
