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SOUTH African jazz legend and anti-apartheid activist Hugh Masekela has died aged 78, his family announced today.

"After a protracted and courageous battle with prostate cancer, he passed peacefully in Johannesburg, South Africa," his family said in a statement.

South African jazz great Hugh Masekela has passed away
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South African jazz great Hugh Masekela has passed awayCredit: AFP or licensors
The Queen shakes hands with Hugh Masekela during Nelson Mandela's state visit to Britain in 1996
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The Queen shakes hands with Hugh Masekela during Nelson Mandela's state visit to Britain in 1996Credit: Reuters

The sad news triggered an outpouring of tributes to his music, his long career and his fight against white majority rule in his home nation.

South African President Jacob Zuma said the nation would mourn a man who "kept the torch of freedom alive".
"It is an immeasurable loss to the music industry and to the country at large. His contribution to the struggle for liberation will never be forgotten," Zuma said in a statement.
Arts and Culture minister Nathi Mthethwa tweeted: "A baobab tree has fallen, the nation has lost a one of a kind."

 

His song 'Soweto Blues', served as one of the soundtracks to the anti-apartheid movement
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His song 'Soweto Blues', served as one of the soundtracks to the anti-apartheid movementCredit: Reuters
His passionate performances wowed the jazz world
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His passionate performances wowed the jazz worldCredit: Allan Titmuss
Masekela with Andrea Corr in Cape Town in 2003
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Masekela with Andrea Corr in Cape Town in 2003Credit: Rex Features

In a career spanning more than five decades, Masekela, often called "Bra Hugh" gained international recognition with his distinctive Afro-Jazz sound and hits such as "Soweto Blues", which served as one of the sound-tracks to the anti-apartheid movement.

Masekela learned to play the trumpet at age 14 and gained fame for his bright, lively playing. He went into exile after the 1960 Sharpeville killings in which 69 protesters were shot dead.

In 1968 he scored an international hit with "Grazing in the Grass."

As well as close friendships with jazz legends like Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Charlie Mingus, Masekela also performed alongside stars Janis Joplin, Otis Redding and Jimi Hendrix in the 1960s.

Many of his compositions were about the struggle for majority rule in South Africa and full democratic rights. Masekela's composition "Bring Him Back Home" calling for Nelson Mandela to be released from prison became an international anthem for the anti-apartheid movement.

His family said he died peacefully in Johannesburg, surrounded by his family
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His family said he died peacefully in Johannesburg, surrounded by his familyCredit: AFP or licensors

The family statement added: "A loving father, brother, grandfather and friend, our hearts beat with profound loss.

"Hugh's global and activist contribution to and participating in the areas of music, theatre, and the arts in general is contained in the minds and memory of millions across six continents.

"We are blessed and grateful to be part of a life and ever-expanding legacy of love.

"Rest in power beloved, you are forever in our hearts."

The musician was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2008 and underwent eye surgery in March 2016 after the cancer spread.

He opened the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup Kick-Off Concert and performed at the event's opening ceremony in Johannesburg's Soccer City stadium.

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