Celebrated Kikuyu benga artist Joseph Kamaru has passed away after 44 years of a career in music.
Kamaru died at MP Shah Hospital in Nairobi at the age of 79 on Wednesday evening where he was undergoing treatment since Monday.
According to his son, Stephen Maina, Kamaru passed away after he developed breathing complications.
The artist was born in Kangema, Muranga County where he studied his primary education up to 1957 before moving to Nairobi in search of a job and better life.
When he finally joined music in the 1960s, his music star continued to shine brighter from one record release to the next.
He is said to have enjoyed a close relationship with the late President Jomo Kenyatta whom he used to perform for both at State House, Nairobi and his Gatundu home.
However, he would fall out with Kenyatta badly in the mid-1970s after the assassination of the then Nyandarua North MP, the late J.M Kariuki.
Kenyatta and his close associates were widely rumoured to have had a hand in the MP's assassination. Kariuki was notably very critical to Kenyatta's government land policy.
Following J.M Kariuki's death, Kamaru released the song 'J.M Kariuki', which basically called on the government to unearth the real murderers of Kariuki and punish them.
Apparently, this did not go well with Kenyatta's administration which would have prefered the matter forgotten sooner than later due to the emotions the topic elicited across the country.
Nevertheless, Kamaru remained unshaken and continued to compose more songs that were considered critical to the government even during former President Daniel Arap Moi's time.
That said, Kamaru's music fans who cut across all generations, have reacted with shock after news of his death broke on social media on Wednesday evening.
Here are the reactions to a post shared by fellow Kikuyu secular music artist Kimani Wa Turacco on the 'United States of Kiambu' Facebook group.