Rapper Meek Mill led celebrities in paying tribute to Davido after his 3-year-old son drowned at the family home.
Ifeanyi Adeleke, who turned three in October, reportedly died on Monday at Davido's home in Lagos.
The Nigerian singer and songwriter, whose real name is David Adeleke, shares the home with his fiancée, Ifeanyi's mom Chioma Rowland, a well-known chef and influencer in the African country.
Police attended the Banana Island home after a domestic staff member called authorities at roughly 10 p.m.
"We are reviewing the CCTV cameras to get additional information about the circumstances of his death," police spokesperson Benjamin Hundeyin told the BBC.
"His body has been deposited in the morgue. We are in touch with his parents. In fact they were with us last night."
He confirmed police had requested to interview eight staff members who worked at Davido's home.
Tributes poured in for Davido and Rowland from celebrities and fans alike.
"Prayers to davido and his family also praying for y'all," tweeted Meek Mill.
While Nigerian radio host Sheye Banks shared a photo of Davido's third studio album, A Better Time, which showed him on the cover cradling Ifeanyi as an infant.
"Can't look at this picture the same way again. Prayers up for Davido and Chioma," Banks wrote.
Can’t look at this picture the same way again 💔
— SEYE BANKS (@SheyeBanks) November 1, 2022
Prayers up for Davido and Chioma 🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/hPOJSKg8X7
Author Toni Tone wrote: "Devastating news this morning. My thoughts are with Davido and Chioma, as well as Takeoff's loved ones."
British rapper Skepta simply said: "Prayers."
Davido is considered a pioneer of Afrobeat and one of Nigeria's most successful musical exports. He became the first Nigerian singer to appear on a FIFA World Cup single when he recorded "Hayya Hayya (Better Together)" for the upcoming 2022 tournament in Qatar.
The singer has collaborated with major stars including Nicki Minaj, Young Thug and Chris Brown.
Davido has three other children from previous relationships. Ifeanyi was his third child and first with Rowland who is a prominent media personality in Nigeria.
The influencer got her start in modeling before turning her hand to cooking and regularly shares recipes on her YouTube channel, Chef Chi TV, where she has almost 19,000 subscribers.
Davido and Rowland announced their engagement during a trip to London in October, and she also paid tribute to their son on his third birthday.
Sharing a series of photos of the toddler, Rowland gushed how "grateful" she was to be his mom.
"Happy birthday to the love of my life. Mummy loves you so much, may God always bless you for me. God has been so faithful to us and I'm so grateful to be called your mummy. May you be greater than your parents in Jesus' name, amen. Love you twin! #big3," she captioned the Instagram post.
The singer also paid tribute to his son for his birthday on October 20.
"I pray with all my heart that God grants you perfect health and pure happiness for as long as humanly possible. You will grow to be greater than Me, Happy birthday, son," Davido wrote on Instagram.
The couple have yet to publicly comment on their son's death.
Newsweek has reached out to Lagos State Police Command for comment.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Shannon Power is a Greek-Australian reporter, but now calls London home. They have worked as across three continents in print, ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
