“SAY HI TO YOUR UNCLE FEMI” — D’BANJ’S MESSAGE TO THE AFTERLIFE

Nigerian music star Oladapo Daniel Oyebanjo, popularly known as D’banj, has paid an emotional tribute to his late son, Daniel Oyebanjo III, eight years after the toddler’s tragic death.

The tribute was shared on his Instagram page on Thursday, October 29, 2026, expressing enduring love for the child fondly known as Daniel D3rd and reflecting on how the family has coped with the loss, ValidViewNetwork reports.

THE TRIBUTE

“I miss you Daniel D3rd my son and trust me I can’t imagine how your mother feels but we are in a Safe Space now THANK YOU …” D’banj wrote.

He described Daniel as the family’s “star boy” and credited the loss with teaching him profound lessons about life.

“Omo Baba Eh, our family’s star boy,” he wrote. “But thank you I’m in a Safe space and so is your mother and your brother and sister, I’m sure you are Proud of us. Thank you for Showing me what life Really is as a WHOLE”.

THE MESSAGE TO THE AFTERLIFE

D’banj also used the tribute to remember his late brother, Femi, asking his son to pass on a message. “Say hi to your Uncle Femi, tell him I miss him too,” he wrote .

He signed off with a declaration of love: “Daddy loves you Specially, Physically, Spiritually and Powerfully. Your Dad Daniel D2nd Lee, The No 1 Entertainer Ever liveth” .

THE TRAGEDY

Daniel died on June 24, 2018, at the age of 13 months after reportedly drowning in a swimming pool at the family’s residence in Ikoyi, Lagos .

His death deeply affected D’banj and his wife, Lineo Didi Kilgrow. The couple has since welcomed two other children, a boy and a girl, and has continued to rebuild their lives .

WHY IT MATTERS

D’banj’s tribute is a reminder that grief does not fade with time. It changes, it softens, but it does not disappear.

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Eight years after losing his son, the singer is still mourning. But he is also healing.

The “safe space” he speaks of is not a physical place. It is a state of mind—a place where the family has found a measure of peace after unimaginable pain.

For fans who have followed D’banj’s career, the tribute is a window into a private sorrow that he has carried publicly. For anyone who has lost a child, it is a reminder that they are not alone.

Daniel D3rd is gone. But his father has not forgotten him. ValidViewNetwork reports.