MELODY - GREATEST HITS

November 7, 2014. A star had just fallen, literally. Her name was Funke Adeniran. It was on all the major news channels. CNN, BBC, FOX, ALJAZEERA, and even the local news channels in Nigeria, including the NTA and CHANNELS TV were all alive with the news. The internet was also buzzing. Several social media sites, including Facebook and Twitter, were alive with millions of fans' postings and condolence messages. The megastar Funke Adeniran, a.k.a Melody, had just died. She was on her way back to the United States of America after a family visit to Nigeria. There had been no official confirmation on whether or not she had really died, but her private jet, believed to be carrying her and a crew of twelve, had crashed into the Atlantic Ocean shortly after take-off from Murtala Muhammad International Airport, Lagos, and rescue teams had been dispatched to search for her remains and that of her crew for hours with no success. So, she was presumed dead.

There were speculations as to the cause of the crash. Some believed that it was just an accident. In contrast, many believed otherwise. Whatever the case, Funke was a very successful and mega-talented young lady who broke the barrier between different genres of music, acting, business, and fashion. She was a musician, an actress, an entrepreneur, a philanthropist who had helped save thousands of lives and given comfort to many more, a fashion designer, and a model, just to mention a few. A woman with a heart of gold, no wonder many people were in shock at the news of her death.

Fans came out in droves to mourn her and express their love for her. Hundreds of flowers, candy, and teddy bears were placed in front of both her Beverly Hills mansion and her recording studio, respectively. Many took to social media to express their sadness, while others were seen talking to the different news crews hanging around her house.

She was the Hollywood-it girl. During her fourteen-year career, she won a total of one Grammy award, three nominations, two Golden Globes, thirty-one Billboard awards, and many other entertainment and humanitarian awards, both local and international. In 2010, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) listed Funke Adeniran as a top-selling artist with over seventeen million certified albums sold. She topped the Forbes Celebrity 100 list and was named the highest-paid black musician in the world. She had captivated the hearts of millions worldwide and left behind a vast empire worth over eight hundred million dollars.

Who was Funke Adeniran, and why did her death have such an effect on millions of people? As an investigative journalist, my curiosity got the best of me, so I compiled this memoir on her life and achievements. It took me several months of research and interviewing many of those nearest and dearest to her to get all the information I needed. So, sit back as we take a long nostalgic journey through the life of the enigma that was Funke Adeniran, more lovingly known to her fans as Melody.