Ghanaian gospel legend Yaw Sarpong is dead

Ghanaian gospel music legend Yaw Sarpong has died after years of ill health.

According to sources, Sarpong died in the early hours of Tuesday, January 20, 2026, at Emena Hospital in the Ashanti Region, where he had been receiving treatment.

His death comes less than a month after the passing of his co-musician Maame Tiwa, a longtime vocalist and key member of the Asomafo music group, whose loss deeply shook Ghana’s gospel fraternity.

Yaw Sarpong rose to national prominence in the 1980s and 1990s, steering Asomafo Group to become one of the defining forces in contemporary Akan gospel music.

The group became widely admired for its Christian-rooted gospel songs that were sung in churches and households.

Some of the groundbreaking songs include “Wo Haw Ne Hwan,” “Tie Obiaa,” “Aduro Yesu,” and “Awurade Kasa,” which are still making waves.

Despite a stellar music career, Yaw Sarpong had in recent years scaled back public performances while managing health complications.

In 2025, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 26th Telecel Ghana Music Awards in recognition of his decades-long contribution to Ghana’s musical heritage.

Tributes from musicians, church leaders, and fans have started to pour in as the country mourns one of its most respected gospel pioneers.

GNA

Kenneth Odeng Adade