DJ Arafat, an Ivorian singer with a huge following in francophone Africa, has died after a road accident in Abidjan, evoking a wave of tributes to the award-winning star of the "coupe-decale" dance genre. "Death of artist DJ Arafat... today at 8am as a result of a road accident overnight," Ivory Coast state broadcaster RTI announced on Monday.
Hundreds of fans gathered on Monday, weeping and chanting "Arafat cannot die" outside the hospital in Abidjan's Cocody suburb where the 33-year-old singer died, AFP reporters at the scene said. According to messages and pictures circulating on social media, he had been driving a motorbike on Sunday night and smashed into a car. Born in Abidjan in 1986, DJ Arafat - real name Ange Didier Huon - had a massive audience in French-speaking western and central African countries.