Legendary Congolese guitarist Denis Lokassa Kasiya, popularly known as Lokassa ya Mbongo, died Tuesday night in the US after a long illness.
Lokassa, who recently turned 80, was the band leader of the popular Soukous Stars band, formerly based in Paris. Earlier, he had a stint with Tabu Ley Rochereau's Afrisa International and later the All African Stars band. He had been battling with diabetes and was recuperating from a mild stroke he suffered a few years ago.
