Singer Jules Sentore’s mother passed on March 14, from Rwanda Military Hospital, Kanombe, ending her brave fight with cancer. She was 48.

Fanny Umutako was the daughter to traditional music icon late Athanase Sentore, and younger sister to musician Masamba Intore.

 "I visited my mother at the hospital on Tuesday. She was on oxygen, and I could tell she was in terrible pain,” said gutted Sentore.

He continued: "It was such a horrific situation and I was consumed with grief. And now my beautiful mother is in Heaven. The cancer is gone and the pain has ceased.” 

The Urabaruta star said his mother passed away at 1a.m on Wednesday surrounded by loved ones.

Umutako was a mother to two – Jules Sentore and his sister Halima.

 "My Umutako (Kinyarwanda for ‘ornament’) with whom I shared a lot (in) life; an accident claimed my father’s life but you and I survived it,” Sentore wrote in an emotional post on his Instagram account, referring to the incident that occurred when his mother was pregnant with Jules Sentore.

 "God who created you and gave you the ability to be strong and happy in life has now called you…and we respect that. Here on earth we’re extremely sad, but in Heaven they’re celebrating,” the singer wrote, adding: "Go and prepare our places so that when our time comes, we shall sing and dance with you.”

Sentore said family and friends had started making funeral arrangements.

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