By Mukembo Wilfred
Celebrated media personality and trailblazing Ugandan DJ, Michael Benjamin Owor widely known as DJ Bush Baby has died at the age of 50.
His lifeless body was discovered on the morning of Thursday, June 5, inside his private studio in Entebbe, where he had been unresponsive since Tuesday. Concerned relatives, alarmed by his sudden disappearance, broke into the studio and made the grim discovery. By press time, the cause of death remained unknown, pending a medical postmortem.
DJ Bush Baby was a cornerstone of Uganda’s media and music landscape, credited with transforming radio and television entertainment across East Africa. His influential presence on Urban TV, NBS TV, and STV helped shape the direction of broadcast media and launched the careers of numerous DJs and presenters over more than two decades.
In 2021, Bush Baby survived a harrowing accident when he fell into a manhole at his home, resulting in a fractured pelvic bone and internal injuries. After undergoing surgery at URO Care Hospital, he spoke candidly about the experience, calling it a spiritual turning point in his life.
Despite ongoing health challenges, he remained committed to mentoring young talent. Through initiatives like Salute the DJ, he continued to uplift aspiring entertainers. In 2024, he joined Tanzania’s XRadio, where he hosted a widely streamed weekly show that reached audiences across East Africa.
Born in 1975 in Entebbe, Owor began his career in the late 1990s at Radio Uganda’s Green Channel, which later became Magic FM. His career took him across the region, including helping establish Kiss FM in Tanzania and serving at East African Radio and EATV cementing his legacy as a cultural influencer beyond Uganda’s borders.
Tributes from the creative community flooded social media on Thursday, with industry peers mourning his passing as a tremendous loss to Uganda’s entertainment scene. Many remembered him as a generous, innovative force dedicated to nurturing the next generation.
Details about funeral arrangements will be released by the family
