Senegalese star Thione Seck dies aged 66 AFP Thione Seck was a star of the Senegalese sound, mbalax One of Senegal's best known singers, Thione Seck, has died in Dakar at the age of 66 after a short illness. He came from a family of griots, or praise-singers, and first rose to prominence in the 1970s with Orchestra Baobab, known for its mix of African and Cuban music. He went on to found his own group, Raam Daam, which played the distinctly Senegalese sound, mbalax. His son Wally Seck is also a famous singer. In 2015, Thione Seck was charged with money laundering after fake banknotes worth millions of euros and dollars were found in his house. The charges were dropped at the beginning of the month, according to his lawyer quoyed by the AFP news agency.