Ex PMAN president and flutist, Tee Mac Omatsola Iseli has opened up on late arts enthusiast and philanthropist, Rasheed Gbadamosi who passed on recently at the age of 73.
In an exclusive chat with Entertainer, Tee Mac described Gbadamosi as a great patron of the arts who contributed his quota to the development of the entertainment industry.
“Indeed it was with shock that I received news of his death recently. However, due to Muslim tradition which says the dead must be buried immediately, I did not have the opportunity to say farewell to him. He was a great man who contributed in no small measure to the arts and entertainment in Nigeria.”
Tee Mac disclosed that his relationship with Gbadamose goes back a long way.
“I became a close friend to Sir Melvin Brown, a former British High Commissioner to Nigeria and an accomplished pianist and we founded the Classical Music Society (CMS) of Nigeria alongside my godfather, Akintola Williams.
“We did a couple of classical fund raising concerts at Metropolitan Club. I met Rasheed Gbadamsoi during one of those performances and he said I should always give him notice whenever I am performing and over the years he attended most of my shows.”
According to the flutist, Gbadamosi was instrumental in the building and management of the Muson Centre, Lagos, and was very knowledgeable about classical music: “We often discussed the problems plaguing the entertainment industry and the challenges for professionals. And he always talked about how we could create jobs for professionals. He loved Fela’s music a great deal. In Gbadamosi, Nigeria has lost a rare gem. I will always cherish him; he was a good friend,” Tee Mac concluded.