Nigerian Gospel Pioneer Toun Soetan, Composer of “Darling Jesus,” Dies at 73 — Tributes Pour In

The Nigerian gospel music community has been plunged into deep mourning following the passing of one of its most foundational and beloved figures — veteran gospel singer, songwriter, and evangelist Toun Soetan, who died on March 13, 2026, at the age of 73. CNN With her passing, Nigeria has lost not just a voice, but a spiritual institution.

The news was announced by the family on social media on Friday, the same day she was reported to have passed. “This is to announce the home calling of our loving mother, Evangelist Rachel Olatoun Soetan. This call to glory occurred this morning, Friday, 13 March 2026. Let us all commiserate with Daddy Soetan and the entire family,” the family statement read. Newsweek

Soetan was widely recognised as the original composer of the popular Christian chorus “Darling Jesus,” a song that has remained a staple in churches across Nigeria for decades. Al Jazeera To generations of Nigerian Christians, the opening notes of that song are inseparable from their earliest memories of worship — sung in school halls, broadcast from church speakers, and passed down through families for whom it became a kind of shared spiritual inheritance. That one song alone would have been enough to secure her legacy. But Toun Soetan gave far more than one song.

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Born in Lagos around 1953, she grew up in the Beere area of Ibadan. She was raised in a large Muslim family — her father reportedly had 28 children — and was originally named Alimat Sadia before converting to Christianity. CNN Her conversion came in 1974 after she attended a revival service at Oritamefa Baptist Church in Ibadan, NBC News an encounter that would redirect the entire course of her life and, through her ministry, the lives of countless others.

She later studied at the University of Ibadan before committing fully to evangelism and gospel music. Bloomberg Before fully dedicating herself to ministry, Soetan worked as a teacher for 16 years at Oritamefa Baptist School. She later became co-proprietress of Pathfinder College, a school founded by her husband, while continuing her music and ministry work. Wikipedia Even in her pre-ministry years, teaching remained at the core of who she was — a quality that would define her approach to gospel ministry long after she left the classroom behind.

She went on to found Trinity World Evangelical Ministries and Trinity School of Worship, where she trained musicians and gospel ministers. The Hill The late gospel music icon will also be remembered for her music college, where she trained many gospel musicians, most of whom are active in ministry today. Al Jazeera In this respect, her legacy is not simply contained in recordings or memories — it is alive and breathing in the voices of every minister she mentored, every musician she trained, and every congregation still singing songs she composed.

She wrote and popularised several enduring gospel songs, including “Darling Jesus,” composed in 1987, as well as “Baba E Se,” “Thank You Jesus,” “I’m Born Again,” “Iye Ree,” “Gbe Jesus Ga,” and “Train Up Your Child” — songs that continue to be widely sung in churches to this day. CNN

Tributes began flooding in almost immediately after the announcement of her passing. Gospel comedian and pastor Woli Agba described her as a legendary figure who lived a life glorifying Jesus, writing: “The message remained the same. The lifestyle remained that which glorifies Jesus. Your transition into Glory to meet The Lord Jesus happened today.” CNBC

Gospel artiste Bukola Omowaye said Soetan played a major role in shaping her spiritual and musical journey, recounting how she first encountered the late singer’s music as a child through her parents’ television and that Soetan’s teachings at worship gatherings helped strengthen her Christian faith and ministry. Another gospel artiste, Shola Adesina, described the late singer as a peaceful and graceful woman, saying: “She’s so peaceful and full of grace. May your gentle soul rest in peace ma.”

What makes these tributes particularly striking is their consistency. Across different generations, different denominations, and different corners of the Nigerian church, the picture of Toun Soetan that emerges is remarkably unified — a woman of deep conviction, generous spirit, and unwavering commitment to the idea that ministry was a calling, not a career. She was known for teaching worship and spiritual warfare and was committed to free ministration, often stressing that true evangelism should not be commercialised CNN — a position that, in an era of increasing commercial Christianity, made her a singular and countercultural figure.

Soetan is survived by her husband, Titus Soetan, family members, and a large community of gospel ministers and followers influenced by her life and ministry.

Nigeria’s gospel music space has produced extraordinary talent across the decades, but few figures in that history can claim the particular combination that defined Toun Soetan — the songwriter who gave the church its songs, the teacher who trained the next generation of voices, the evangelist who never confused the platform for the purpose. She lived what she sang. And for a country that has so often celebrated loudness over depth, her quiet, consistent faithfulness was itself a kind of testimony.

The songs remain. And for the many thousands whose faith was shaped by her voice, that is everything.