Founding member of Osibisa Teddy Osei is dead

Renowned Ghanaian musician and a Founding Member of the Afro-rock band, Osibisa, Teddy Osei, has passed away at the age of 88.

The President of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), Bessa Simons, in an interview with Hitz FM, confirmed that the legendary musician died on the morning of Tuesday, January 14, 2025.

Born in December 1937 in Kumasi, Osei began playing the saxophone while attempting to form a band with his college friends in Sekondi.

After graduating, he worked as a building inspector for a year before creating a band called “The Comets,” which enjoyed brief popularity in Ghana.

In 1962, Osei traveled to London with a grant from the Ghanaian government to study at a private music and drama school.

In 1969, he founded Osibisa with several other musicians. The band gained popularity in the 1970s and continues to perform today.

Teddy Osei’s contributions to music, particularly through Osibisa, have left lasting legacies in the Afro-rock genre.

His passing marks the end of an era for Ghanaian music and the global music community.