Ugandan gospel singer Levixone broke down in tears while remembering his late friend and fellow musician Mac Elvis, revealing that the tragedy once pushed him to consider quitting gospel music.
Speaking during an appearance on Susan Makula Bujjingo’s Makula Show, Levixone became visibly emotional as he revisited the loss of Mac Elvis, whose real name was Mark Elvis Mutalya.
Mac Elvis died on October 18, 2013, at just 25 years old after drowning in a swimming pool during a trip to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
For Levixone, the loss was more than the death of a fellow musician. It was the loss of a close friend at a time when both were struggling to build their lives and careers.
Levixone struggled to hold back his emotions as he described the period following Mac Elvis’ death.
The gospel singer recalled being so devastated that he considered walking away from gospel music altogether.
He said the pain was especially difficult because of the hardships he and Mac Elvis had experienced while pursuing their music careers.
According to Levixone, they had endured difficult living conditions and struggled to afford basic necessities while continuing to serve God through their music.
The loss left him questioning why his prayers had not been answered.
Levixone remembered praying for God to bring his best friend back.
“I almost quit gospel music because of Mac Elvis,” he said.
He then recalled the words he directed toward God during that painful period.
“I prayed to God and told him, ‘We have suffered, we don’t have food, living a bad life, yet we are still serving you. Bring back Mac Elvis; it will show people that you are mighty and a working God.’ Those are the things I was telling God.”
As he recounted the prayer, Levixone broke down and cried.
His emotional reaction showed how deeply the loss had affected him, even years after Mac Elvis’ death.
Mac Elvis’ death came at a time when his musical career was gaining momentum.
At only 25, he was regarded as one of Uganda’s promising young music talents, with his work earning recognition beyond the country.
His sudden death therefore brought an abrupt end to a career that Levixone believed still had so much ahead of it.
For Levixone, the tragedy also forced him to confront his own faith during an extremely difficult period.
Mac Elvis, born Mark Elvis Mutalya, died on October 18, 2013, following a drowning incident in a swimming pool while on a trip in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
He was 25 years old.
By that point, Mac Elvis had established himself as a promising figure in Uganda’s music scene, with his music attracting attention across the region.
His death robbed the industry of a young performer whose career was still developing.
For Levixone, the loss happened against the backdrop of the difficult early years of his own gospel career.
The two friends had experienced financial struggles while pursuing music, according to Levixone.
That history made Mac Elvis’ death particularly painful.
Instead of simply mourning his friend, Levixone found himself wrestling with questions about his faith, his purpose and whether he could continue with gospel music.
Levixone’s story highlights the deeply personal struggles that can exist behind a successful gospel career.
For audiences, gospel music is often associated with faith, hope and resilience.
But Levixone’s recollection shows that faith does not necessarily eliminate grief, frustration or difficult questions.
At the time, he was struggling with the reality that his prayers for his friend had not been answered in the way he hoped.
His decision to continue in gospel music despite that pain ultimately became another part of his journey.
The memory of Mac Elvis remains powerful enough to bring Levixone to tears more than a decade later.
The most emotional part of Levixone’s recollection was not simply that he lost a friend.
It was the sense of helplessness he described while praying for something he desperately wanted but could not change.
He wanted Mac Elvis back and believed his friend’s return could have demonstrated God’s power to people around them.
When that did not happen, Levixone said he came close to abandoning the very music through which he had been expressing his faith.
His tears on Makula Show showed that the memory remains deeply personal.
More than a decade after Mac Elvis’ death, Levixone still carries the memory of his friend — and the painful questions that once made him consider walking away from gospel music.