Deceased Concertgoer’s Sister Knocks Asake Over Video Tribute
Rachel, the sister of the late Rebecca Ikumelo, has strongly criticized popular musician Asake for a tribute he made during his recent concert in London. The tribute was dedicated to Rebecca Ikumelo and a security guard, Gabrielle Hutchinson, both of whom tragically lost their lives after sustaining injuries during a crowd surge at an Asake concert in December 2022.
During his Sunday concert in the city, Asake displayed pictures and videos of the deceased fans as part of his tribute before starting his performance. He also urged anyone with information about the incident to come forward and contact the police.
Rachel, using the Twitter handle @Rachaeliku, expressed her dissatisfaction with the tribute, considering it to be an inadequate gesture. She highlighted that the singer had not reached out to her family since the tragic incident took place.
In her tweet, she wrote, “What a sorry excuse of a ‘tribute’ from @asakemusik. My sister lost her life at your show and you haven’t spoken to a single member of my family since. But you can hold another concert in London less than 9 months later and play her videos as a ‘tribute’? RIP Rebecca Ikumelo.”
Asake had previously issued a statement expressing his condolences to the family after the tragic incident. He had stated, “I am devastated by the news that Rebecca Ikumelo, who was in critical condition since Thursday, has sadly passed away. My sincerest condolences to her loved ones at this time. Let us please keep her family in our prayers. I have spoken to them, and will continue to do so.”
In response to Twitter users pointing out that Asake had indeed reached out to the family, Rachel clarified that the singer had not sought her family’s consent before sharing videos of Rebecca as part of the tribute.
She emphasized, “My point is, he should not be using her videos or giving a ‘tribute’ without speaking to my family beforehand for consent. I hope you’re getting paid to ride for Asake like this.”
The tragic incident that occurred in December led Asake to cancel his sold-out show at the O2 Academy Brixton, as crowds of people without tickets attempted to enter the venue. The attempted breach caused the show to halt halfway, leading to the unfortunate loss of two lives and several others being hospitalized due to the crowd surge.
