The legendary jazz singer, Dorothy Masuka has died at the age of 83 on Saturday, 23 February 2019.
Family spokesperson Fortune Hute (speaking to Voice of America ) said Masuka, who was born in 1935, succumbed to stroke and hypertension.
“She has been struggling with hypertension since last year in June. As a family I can say we are still in shock but otherwise we are celebrating a legacy as well as a life. We are still deciding where to lay her to rest.”
In addition, Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa took it to Twitter to pay respect and send condolences in a tribute post.
A baobab tree has fallen with the passing of a one of a kind Musician, the legendary Mama Dorothy Masuka. Her music was the soundtrack of some of our most joyful moments & the light of our souls during our darkest hours. Lala ngoxolo Mama wethu. pic.twitter.com/YIg5AG6FwP
— Min. Nathi Mthethwa (@NathiMthethwaSA) February 23, 2019
Dorothy Masuka was a Zimbabwe-born South African jazz singer, born in Bulawayo, the fourth of seven children, and her mother was Zulu while her father was a Zambian hotel chef. Still, she attended a Catholic school deemed good by the standards of education allowed blacks. Her family moved to South Africa when she was 12 due to her health. By the time she was 19 she was touring in South Africa with singers she had admired as a girl.
Masuka’s song, Hamba Nontsokolo, is widely regarded in the music industry as the one that launched her career.
Other public figures have taken to social media to share messages of condolences:
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