The Ghanaian musician Castro, one of Afrobeats' biggest stars, is feared dead following a boating accident last weekend. A police marine unit has reportedly joined fishermen in a search of the swampy Volta river estuary, where Castro disappeared on Sunday afternoon.
Castro, whose real name is Theophilus Tagoe, was reportedly attending a boat cruise organised by Ghanaian footballer Asamoah Gyan on Sunday afternoon. According to the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, Castro and an unnamed woman went off alone on a watercraft. A witness claims to have seen the woman fall off; Castro seems to have jumped into the lagoon in an attempt to rescue her.
"He thought he could have saved the girl," Castro's manager, DJ Amess, told BBC Newsbeat. "[Witnesses] told me they saw him removing the jacket. I wasn't there so I can't confirm whether it's true or not."
My thoughts go out to Castro, his friends & family! Words can't even explain the shock I got when I heard the news! You're with the angels!🙏
— Tinchy Stryder (@TinchyStryder) July 7, 2014
Born in 1982, Castro released his debut album in 2003. He soon became a mainstay of Ghanaian hiplife music, scoring African hits with songs like African Girls and Seihor. His remix of Sarkodie's track Adonai is currently No 1 on DJ Edu's 1Xtra Destination Africa chart.
"My thoughts go out to Castro, his friends & family!" tweeted Tinchy Stryder, who has previously performed with Castro. "Words can't even explain the shock I got when I heard the news! You're with the angels!" Lethal Bizzle also mourned the missing musician, calling Castro his "favourite Ghanaian artist".
