CK Mann Dead?

According to an unrelaible source, the Ghanaian highlife musician, Charles Kofi (CK) Mann is dead ..... No confirmation yet from official sources

Charles Kofi Mann affectionately known in West Africa as C.K. - a seaman and self taught guitarist - joined Kakaiku's Guitar Band in the 1960s where he rapidly established himself as a great performer. His ascendancy continued with the formation of his band The Carousel Seven. This was followed by the release of his hit single 'Edina Brenya' in 1969, which helped immensely to popularise the band as it enjoyed massive airplay. Carousel 7 took residency at the famous Carousel nightclub in Takoradi (Capital of the Western Region of Ghana), where they continued incessantly to build their fan base. C.K. developed a new sound from the traditional 'osode' which is a recreational music and dance created by the fishing communities of the Fanti regions of Ghana. He explains, "I lived at Emisado Cape Coast near the beach and close to the fisher folks who perform the 'True Osode' with such zeal, warmth and feel ... which takes one through a spiritual journey. I have always liked osode music long before I picked up my first loved instrument. Even the 'raw and pure' ... vocals employed is unique and can't be equalled by anyone other than my people - the fisher folks. They are the experts and I respect them for that. However, my aim was to play osode and make it appeal to a much wider audience. I made some minor rearrangements and employed the keyboards, lead, rhythm and bass guitars to my band. The band managed to keep some of the original ingredients of osode such as hand claps and the call and response style of singing".
The band were signed by Essiebons Records and enjoyed a lot of artistic freedom and support from the label. There was the freedom to explore new areas and experiment with new styles and sounds. C.K. later added the saxophones and trumpets. Initially the fans and critics were sceptical about the new sound. He explains, "You see I am not a trained musician, I learnt all I know about the guitar by myself. I, like the great Louis Armstrong, play by the ear. One knows what one wants from one's musicians, all the writing and arrangements are done by me... which I record on tape. The musicians play what they hear on the tape numerous times. Once they perfect it then I have achieved the sound that I have been seeking .It took a while to get the sound I wanted with the introduction of the wind instruments ... I knew it was there and once we got it the fans and critics liked it". The maestro had managed to win everybody over with his musical prowess.
Ghana in the 1970s was a period when highlife music was under threat as the big band era gave way to a mushrooming of discos playing imported music. With the influence of disco at it's height and the Ghana record industry in serious decline, due to overwhelming economic problems which began to affect the whole country, C.K. evaluated the situation, and quickly turned the 'disco threat' to his advantage. This led to the release of the highly successful 'Funky Highlife' album in 1975. He explains, "I like change, especially if the change is dictated by the demands of the day. You see when funk music arrived in this country, everybody wanted that kind of music. Well I know I can't play soul and funk like its proponents, so what I did was to adapt and weave our own familiar highlife hits into funk. It was a very successful exercise." Together with master vocalist Paapa Kofi Yankson, they dominated the 1970s with a series of best selling albums, and were the flagship of Essiebons Records, one of the few record companies that managed to survive the growing economic chaos. For several years, their tours were sell outs, and it was a common sight to see hundreds turned away at gigs as the "Full House" sign were put up.
In the 1980s, C.K. Mann turned his attention to traditional gospel highlife, and spearheaded another development, which today, is one of the most popular forms of highlife music. Charles Kofi Mann with his unstoppable music, is one of the few musicians who have written themselves into the history books of highlife music. C.K. has become a household name and a legend in his own lifetime.
Quotes are from a C.K. Mann interview with Mike Eghan (Ghanaian entrepreneur and veteran radio presenter).
The Legendary CK Mann [CD (double), Nakasi, 2001]
With Love From C.K. [LP, 1976]
Funky Highlife [LP, 1975]
Party Time With CeeKay [LP, 1973]