Philly Lutaaya
Ugandan musician and activist (1951-1989) · Uganda · On the map · Musicians · Died at 38
Philly Bongoley Lutaaya was a Ugandan musician who was the first prominent Ugandan to give a human face to HIV/AIDS. He became a national hero because he was the first Ugandan to declare that he was HIV-positive. That was in 1988, when HIV still carried a lot of stigma.
Philly Lutaaya is read about 19 times a day, in 8 languages.
A typical day, 30 days to 18 October 2026
The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 119 days, one point a day.
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About this person
Before dying of AIDS, Lutaaya spent his remaining time writing songs about his battle with AIDS, releasing his last album Alone and Frightened, including his famous song "Alone", influenced by Swedish duo Roxette's hit song It Must Have Been Love as well as touring churches and schools throughout Uganda to spread a message of prevention and hope. Lutaaya was popular in Uganda in the 1960s, and in the 1970s he toured the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, and Japan. In the mid-1980s, he settled in Stockholm, Sweden. There he recorded his hit album Born in Africa, which is still popular in Uganda. Philly could play the guitar, piano (keyboards), and drums. His music still lives on up to today.
