South African singer and songwriter Johnny Clegg died on Tuesday after being diagnosed with cancer in 2015, local news outlets reported. He was 66.
Clegg, a Grammy nominee and Billboard music award winner known for his fluent Zulu which he mixed into his traditional folk music known as mbaqanga, was also a vocal critic of the apartheid government that ruled South Africa until 1994.
In 2012 Clegg received the presidential Order of Ikhamanga as well as a number of honorary doctorates and awards.
Condolences to Family and Friends of
Johnny Clegg -one of South Africa’s most celebrated sons. He was a singer, a songwriter, a dancer, anthropologist whose infectious crossover music exploded onto the international scene and contributed towards social cohesion #RIPJohnnyClegg pic.twitter.com/NpyQeZ2E4X— South African Government (@GovernmentZA) July 16, 2019