The talented musician and singer of the Magnum Band died from cancer on Sunday, November 24, in Florida. He was 72 years old. The funeral of André “Dadou” Pasquet will take place on Saturday, November 29 at 1:00 pm in Miami, Florida.
In recent years, fans had noticed that the artist had lost a lot of weight and suspected a serious health problem, but the band had continued to tour… In June 2021, at the end of the Covid-19 epidemic, the band had notably celebrated its 45th anniversary in grand style in Little Haiti, Miami. On Sunday, November 23, the sad news broke: André “Dadou” Pasquet had died in Miami after a long illness. No one wanted to believe it, and it took confirmation of the guitarist’s death, notably by his brother Tico. The artist, who had made several stays at the hospital, no longer had the strength to fight the illness that was consuming him. He had seen his death coming and had time to say goodbye to his loved ones. There is immense sadness among his family, the members of Magnum Band, his fans, and in Haiti, his native island, which he loved and where he thought he would end his days…
In 1976, Dadou Pasquet, member of another legendary Haitian band, Tabou Combo, and his brother Tico Pasquet (drummer) had founded the Magnum Band. The young (23 years old, at the time) and talented guitarist wanted to evolve one of the country’s national music styles – Compas or Konpa – by giving it a more jazzy and funky colour. Successful bet with the release of the first album, “Expérience”, in 1976, because the “Magnum Band, la seule différence” (Magnum Band, the only difference – the group’s motto – immediately won over thousands of fans around the world and got them dancing.
In 1982, the Haitian band and its leader Dadou Pasquet, who often performed in the French Caribbean (Guadeloupe, Martinique, St Martin, St Barthélemy, French Guiana), did not hesitate to recruit a singer from Sainte-Marie, Martinique, Nestor Azérot.
Dadou Pasquet passed away, but he leaves behind many albums and hits: “Expérience”, “Piké devan”, “Paka pala”, “Adoration”, “Oupila”, “Pa palé la”, “Libèté”, “La foi”, “Jéhovah”, “Ashadei”, “Difé”,“Ou pi la”, “Close the door”, “Ki méle’m”, “Courage” etc. We will always remember the solos of this great Haitian guitar player. The Konpa music by Magnum Band will continue to be played, that’s for sure.
The funeral of this legendary musician and singer will take place in Miami, on Saturday, November 29 at 1:00 pm in Miami, Florida.
