Carlyto Lassa spent years entertaining fans with his distinctive tenor voice in the Congolese rumba scene before making a dramatic turn to gospel music and preaching.
The former TP OK Jazz and Choc Stars musician, who died aged 65 in Cincinnati, Ohio, on August 31, had devoted the later years of his life to Christianity and evangelical ministry.
According to Paris-based Congolese rhumba musician Nyboma Mwandido, Lassa was in the United States for an evangelistic mission when he collapsed at the home of a fellow preacher.
Lassa had travelled to the US periodically for church fellowship campaigns and other evangelical activities. He was not a permanent resident of the country.
His journey from secular music to the pulpit began in 1997, when he converted to Christianity and decided to abandon secular music.
The decision marked a major shift for a musician who had already established himself in the highly competitive Congolese rumba scene.
Lassa had worked with TP OK Jazz before joining Choc Stars Orchestra in the 1980s. He later became the group’s band leader, at one point succeeding Bozi Boziana.
During his time with TP OK Jazz, he collaborated with Franco Luambo on songs including Maya and Affaire Kitikwala, both written by renowned songwriter Lutumba Simaro Massiya.
Lassa also featured on Papa Noël’s Bon Samaritain album in 1984 before moving fully into the Choc Stars camp, where Riana was among his notable songs.
His voice was one of the qualities that distinguished him in the rumba scene.
Kenyan rhumba fan William Onyango said Lassa’s tenor voice gave his music a distinctive character.
“His tenor voice made a difference in rhumba and was very articulate. Listening to some of his music today takes us back, and we still love it,” Onyango said.
But after converting to Christianity, Lassa gradually left the secular music world behind.
He relocated from Kinshasa to Paris in the late 1990s while pursuing a solo career. It was during this period that he deepened his involvement in Christian ministry, eventually becoming an ordained pastor.
He became known as Pastor Carlyto Lassa, or Pastor Charles Ndombasi.
His musical background, however, remained evident in his gospel work. Rather than completely abandoning the sounds that had defined his earlier career, Lassa blended elements of traditional Lingala rumba with Christian themes.
His gospel albums included La Reconnaissance, released in 2001, and Confiance – Kili Kili Azongi, released in 2004. He also recorded songs such as Makolo ya Massiya.
For Mwandido, Lassa’s transition did not erase his place in the secular music fraternity.
“He served well in both secular and gospel music. After retiring from secular music, he crossed over to gospel singing and preaching. He was still respected by the secular world, just as he was in the gospel ministry,” Mwandido told The Standard from Paris.
Mwandido said Lassa also continued to pray for his former colleagues after entering the ministry.
“Lassa had time for us even after he crossed over to gospel singing and even prayed for us,” he said.
Brussels-based Congolese singer Nana Akumu also remembered Lassa as an iconic preacher.
“We loved him but God loved him most,” she said.
Lassa’s story reflects a path taken by several African musicians who moved from secular entertainment into Christian ministry, including Tanzanian musician Cosmas Tobias Chidumule, Nigerian singer Chidinma Ekile and Kenyan singer Cecilia Wairimu.
For Lassa, the move from the rumba stage to the pulpit became the defining chapter of his later life, transforming him from a celebrated secular vocalist into a gospel musician and preacher.