He died of prostate cancer on Tuesday morning in his Johannesburg home.
Condolences continue to pour in for iconic Jazz musician Hugh Masikela.
Surrounded by his family in his Johannesburg home, the father of Jazz died at the age of 78 after a battle with prostate cancer.
He was born on 4 April 1939 in the eMahleni area of KwaGuqa.
A baobab tree has fallen, the nation has lost a one of a kind musician with the passing of Jazz legend bra Hugh Masekela. We can safely say bra Hugh was one of the great architects of Afro-Jazz and he uplifted the soul of our nation through his timeless music. #RIPBraHughMasekela pic.twitter.com/JVy47GA6aU
— Min. Nathi Mthethwa (@NathiMthethwaSA) January 23, 2018
The ANC in the Mpumalanga province described Bra Hugh as somebody who was “a product and maker of history” – someone who left “an indelible mark in the struggle for [a] liberated South Africa”.
“The death of comrade Hugh Masekela does not only silence the trumpet he blew to advance the people’s cause but also serves [as] a sharp reminder that the prestigious generation of freedom fighters who used music, arts and culture to express the hopes and aspirations of the oppressed people of the continent is departing from the land of the living one by one,” provincial spokeswoman Sasekani Manzini said on Tuesday.
“Since he fell in love with music in his teenage years, he travelled the globe and used music to broadcast the story of the suffering people of South Africa and inspire them to be their own liberators.
“His hits Stimela and Happy Mama are amongst the many songs he composed and performed with absolute passion in his attempt to inspire the toiling masses of South Africa to be their own liberators,” she said in a statement on behalf of the Mpumalanga ANC.
https://twitter.com/OskidoIBelieve/status/955771128911466496
EMalahleni mayor Lindiwe Ntshalintshali said she salutes Bra Hugh’s ability “to easily switch from protests music to social uplifting Afro-Jazz music post apartheid.
“We have lost a music legend who was celebrated in many countries abroad,” she said
“In Africa and here at home.
“Bra Hugh as he was affectionately known inspired us all. His music carried both political and social messages.
“Like many freedom fighters of his age, he was forced into exile but his music, although it was banned, continued to inspire many activists in South Africa and elsewhere in the continent,” the mayor said.
(edited by MLM)
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