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KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Papa Wemba, known around the world as "the king of Congolese rumba," has died following a collapse on stage during a concert. He was 66.
The Congolese culture minister (Baudouin Banza Mukalay) confirmed the musician's death Sunday, calling it a "great loss for the country and all of Africa."
Footage from the concert in Ivory Coast where Wemba was performing Saturday night shows his fellow performers rushing to his side as he collapsed. The cause of death wasn't immediately known.
Fans around the world are mourning the loss of the popular musician, whose real name was Jules Shungu Wembadio Pene Kikumba.
Wemba was also a style icon, inspiring generations of young, fashionable Central Africans.
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