The family of veteran Nigerian Juju and Highlife musician Iyun Janet Ajilore, popularly known as Saint Janet, has opened up about the events leading to her death.

Her children disclosed that the singer experienced chest pain and difficulty breathing shortly before she passed away, in a recent interview with Alore TV.

According to her daughter Omowunmi, Saint Janet had performed at a show in Sango, Ogun State, the previous night and showed no signs of illness.

“She performed the previous night. People even celebrated her with applause. We did not suspect anything. After the show, we came home and slept. The show was overnight,” she said.

The following day, the singer went to the market, returned home around 6pm, and insisted on preparing her own meal.

Omowunmi said she later noticed her mother clutching her chest and struggling to breathe.

“After she finished cooking, she checked around the house to see if there was anything else for her to do. I later noticed she was holding her chest. She said she felt like something wanted to drop off her chest. Her breathing was no longer regular,” she recalled. The singer subsequently asked to be taken to the hospital.

Her son Orinayo added, “I was told that she was having difficulty in breathing. We took her to the hospital, and she was being attended to immediately. It was when they were looking for pulse that she gave up.”

Another daughter, Fola, said she arrived at the hospital only to learn that her mother had died. “She complained of chest pain. It is my sister that can explain better. She was not sick. They said she went to the market to buy foodstuff. I also saw the soup she was preparing. They came to call me that she was dead,” she said.

The Nigerian Voice recalls that Saint Janet’s death was announced on Sunday by publisher and socialite Otunba Femi Davies, who described her as a vibrant performer.

The family has since set up a committee to oversee her burial arrangements, with a nine-day prayer and thanksgiving period underway. Her funeral has been scheduled for August 25 and 26.