Afrobeats singer Adekunle Gold has revealed that he once wished for death during one of the worst sickle cell crises he experienced at age 20.
Speaking in an interview with media personality Angela Yee, the singer recalled the severe pain he endured at the time and how overwhelmed he felt during the episode.
According to him, the situation became so serious that his mother, who would usually rebuke him for making such statements, remained silent.
“At 20, I had the craziest crisis of my life. I told God to cake my life. And my mom couldn’t even rebuke me. Normally, she would but that night, it got to a point where it felt like the only thing that makes sense should just happen,” he recalled.
Adekunle Gold, who has lived with sickle cell disease since childhood, has spoken publicly about his experience with the condition in recent years. In 2022, he revealed that his song “5 Star” was inspired by his lifelong battle with sickle cell disease.
The singer has since become involved in advocacy through the Adekunle Gold Foundation. In 2025, the foundation launched the “5 Star Care” initiative, which provides free health insurance for people living with sickle cell disease in Lagos State.
Earlier this year, the foundation also organised a medical outreach in Lagos in partnership with the Sickle Cell Advocacy and Management Initiative, offering healthcare services to hundreds of patients living with the condition.
