ACCORDING to the Megahits Music Chart, he is the best gospel musician in Ghana today. The chart also indicates that presently he is the second overall best singer in the country, after contemporary highlife star, Ofori Amponsah, who occupies the number one spot. The sad news, however, is that Philip Nyarko, aka Brother Philip, the promising gospel artiste, died last Wednesday following a short illness. The line musician, whose songs were more popular than he, made an instant hit with his song, “Yesu Ye Dawasi”, whose rhythm was adopted from highlife maestro Nana Ampadu’s song “Oman Boadwo”. According to a close source, the 32-year- old musician had been suffering from the illness which took his life for the past one month and had been taken to several hospitals for treatment without any positive results. The Press Secretary to the United Gospel Musicians Association (UGMA) and manager of Brother Philip, Kwesi Ernest, told The Mirror that the deceased, whose debut album, Nyame Tumi So, became an instant hit, was working on his second album when he gave up the ghost. Ernest dismissed rumours that someone might have killed Brother Philip spiritually to cut short his phenomenal rise to the top. “I have been his manager for a long time and I do not see anybody doing that. Brother Philip did not have problems with anybody so why should somebody want to kill him that way?” he queried. He said Brother Philip was not a “sickler” but was knocked down by some yet-to- be-identified illness more than a month ago and added that the post-mortem report would be ready soon. Meanwhile, the funeral of the departed smooth singer will be held between March 9 and 11 at the MUSIGA Head Office complex in Accra. Wake will be kept on the March 9, after which his mortal remains will be interred on March 10, followed by a thanksgiving service the next day. Brother Philip, who hailed from Assin Okyiso, near Mankesim, left behind a wife, Janet, and two children, a boy and a girl. Before kicking the bucket, Philip had had stints with top gospel singers Nana Yaw Asare, Grace Ashy and Francis Agyei. He will be remembered or composing “Yesu Ye Dawasi’ which is so good that radio disc jockeys and morning show hosts are literally forced to play it continually. Mirror