African footballers mourn DJ Arafat

Ivory Coast singer DJ Arafat dies in road accident [photo courtesy]

Top African footballers have paid Tributes to DJ Arafat, an Ivorian singer who died aged 33 after a road accident in Abidjan.

Hundreds of fans gathered on Monday, weeping and chanting "Arafat cannot die" outside the hospital in Abidjan's Cocody suburb where the singer died, AFP reporters at the scene said. 

According to messages and pictures circulating on social media, he had been driving a motorbike and smashed into a car. Critically injured, the singer was taken to an Abidjan hospital, where he later died.

Born in Abidjan in 1986, DJ Arafat -- real name Ange Didier Huon -- had a massive audience in French-speaking western and central African countries.

He issued 11 albums, mainly of "coupe-decale" -- a dance music form combining rapid percussion, choppy rhythms with hip hop-style vocals.

In the streets of Abidjan, some residents could not hide their grief as they mourned a fallen hero.

Following his death, dozens of international footballers took social media to pay tribute to the DJ.

Former Premier League star Asamoah Gyan wrote: RIP @djarafat hmmm life.

Former Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur striker Emmanuel Adebayor also expressed his condolences

Former Ivory Coast captain Didier Drogba reacted with broken heart emojis

Arsenal new signing Nicolas Pepe also shared DJ Arafat photo with broken heart emojis

The high-octane music often using electronic sounds was born in 2003 in Ivorian nightclubs but quickly spread throughout Africa. DJ Arafat's fame expanded to Europe and the United States, thanks in part to sports stars who made some of the genre's dance steps popular.

DJ Arafat was named "Best Artist of the Year" at the Ivorian "Coupe-decale" Awards in 2016 and 2017.

He was born in the music world. His mother was a well-known singer and his father a prominent sound engineer, one music manager said. He started as a DJ in Yopougon, one of Abidjan's night-life districts.

"He had a natural charisma," said Ozone, a hip hop producer and television host. "He will remain a force for Ivorian and African music."