William Lahai FAHNBULLEH

William Lahai Fahnbulleh (Lahai - The Bushman!) died peacefully in Phoenix, AZ on December 27, 2022, surrounded by his family. He was 66 years old.

Lahai is survived by three children, Jeffrey Fahnbulleh, Los Angeles, CA, Raquel Fahnbulleh, Gilbert, AZ and Arantza Fahnbulleh, Los Angeles, CA, as well as two beautiful granddaughters and numerous extended family members across the globe.

Lahai was born in Monrovia, Liberia, the son of Ernest Ballah Fahnbulleh, a leader in electrical engineering, and Catherine Faye Molefenger.

William Lahai Fahnbulleh aka "The Bushman who loves to party!" lived a full and vivid life!

To understand Lahai you must first comprehend the dichotomy of his character. He had two prominent sides - the serious noble educator and the playful court jester. He loved a good political discourse just as much as he loved gliding across the stage doing his latest dance move. While a stranger might only be familiar with one of his dimensions, if you knew him well you would experience both. And much like the classical masks of theater, his life played out in both energies ... tragedy and comedy.

His journey began on April 13th, 1956 in Monrovia, Liberia on the quaint corner of Randall Street. It was the prime time of Liberia ; new pavement, grand openings and regal shows. Thanks to his family's efforts he grew up experiencing all of it. His father, Ernst Ballah, although from the small village of Kenema, had become one the leading electrical engineers not only in Monrovia but on the west coast of Africa. This led his father to work in many countries, including Ghana, where he met Lahai's mother, our "Sweet Mother" , Catherine Molafinger.

On Randall Street, Lahai grew up enjoying the beauty of West Africa. He spent his early childhood walking to the beach, swimming with the turtles, picking mangoes and playing with friends. Once he came of age for grammar school his father sent him on a private plane to Bo, Sierra Leone to attend a prestigious Catholic boarding school.

As always he committed himself to the mood of his environment. Although he was always known for his rambunctious personality, in school he was able to let his studious side shine. He quickly got into character within the religiosity of the school, as he loved the piousness of it all. He woke up before everyone else, had perfect grades, shined his shoes, and helped the priest prepare mass. He was chosen as an altar boy and believed he was on the path to priesthood. He developed a love for tight schedules, routines and rules which formed the basis for his approach to life.

Even as he excelled both academically and athletically, this never prevented him from putting on weekly shows of song and dance at the local theater. While he was known as one of the top ranking tennis players in the country others would call him Liberian James Brown "you think it's a joke, but it is not a joke! "

After leaving grammar school, and continuing at the University of Liberia, his star continued to rise. As one of the top ranking tennis players in the country he represented Liberia and competed across Africa. His athletic gifts in track and field led to being chosen to represent Liberia in the 1980 Olympics in both high jump and long jump. After training for years, to his dismay the United States boycotted the games due to conflicts with Russia and thus Liberia did not compete.

While he was disappointed he never stopped striving. It was fate when a sudden opportunity arose to move to Olympia Washington and stay with his sister Esther, who needed help with her eldest son Anthony Smaack. He had always admired America and he loved his sister, so he did not hesitate to take the trip. Upon arrival he had no idea what he was getting into; he didn't know about rock n roll, the woods, or white American culture, but as usual he adapted quickly to his environment. He began attending Evergreen Community College and due to his natural magnetism he was able to draw many friends. One of his new friends was Jeff, whom on a random night, bet him twenty five dollars to do an open mic stand-up show, which unexpectedly transformed his life.

His first performance was at the Comedy Underground in Seattle. Eventually he would become a finalist in the Seattle International Comedy Competition in 1986 and 1987. In the meantime he had his first child Jeffrey. Since he was now living his performance dreams, he decided Jeffrey would live out his tennis dreams. As a single father he ran a tight ship but still managed to dedicate a lot of time to his craft. Not only was he building a name for himself in comedy he also became the lead vocalist of "African Roots" a local band that mixed african rhythms with reggae elementals and modern pop. It was during this period as a singer where he would fall in love with a keyboard player named Amaya Shuey. Together they played in several new groups, which were the first bands in Seattle playing African pop, giving audiences in Seattle their first taste of the diverse portfolio of African music from multiple countries. They ended up quickly getting married and having two children Raquel and Arantza.

He was a driven, passionate father teaching all his kids to become excellent athletes in their own right and win numerous tennis medals in Jr NCAA tennis. At home, he ran the daily 'Pops Boot Camp' which included track and field, tennis, comedy, writing, mathematics and many other skills which he imparted upon his children.

Lahai had achieved what he believed to be the American Dream and as he continued reaching for the stars he won International Star Search in 1992, opened up for Diana Ross and began cementing himself as one of the Comedy Stores legends in Los Angeles.

As a comedian, Lahai was the first African comedian to break through to national TV audiences. He appeared on The David Letterman Show, The Arsenio Hall Show and The Byron Allen Show. He did many tours in clubs across the country and obtained roles in several movies and TV shows.

In later years, Lahai was proud to return to college and achieve a BA Cal State Dominguez Hills, and was accepted to a Masters program.

With all of his accomplishments what he now leaves behind are the people in his heart - his family across the globe and a plethora of friends in the comedic community.

Lahai will be remembered for many things whether it be his classic sayings, words of encouragement, consistent upliftment, linguistic riddles, comotious laughter, dance moves, comedic jest and zest for life. He committed himself to his aspirations and exuded a pure joy that only God can give. We are forever thankful and will keep him uplifted in our hearts.

Pops! We will dance, sing and laugh with you forever! Thank you for the gifts that you gave us.

Memorial Service and Celebration of Life at Gilbert Memorial Park Funeral Home, 2100 E Queen Creek Rd, Gilbert, AZ 85297, February 25th, 2pm.