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Legendary South African singer Albert Mazibuko, a long-standing member of Grammy-winning choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, has died aged 77.
Mazibuko, who performed with the group for 55 years, died on Sunday (5 April) following a short illness.
His death was announced on Facebook by his fellow group members the following day. “It is with immense sadness that we tell you that our brother, Albert Mazibuko, has left us this Easter Sunday to be with his saviour in heaven,” they wrote.
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“We will update you with further news, videos and pictures celebrating the life of Albert. We cannot express how broken our hearts are at this time.”
The eldest of six brothers, Mazibuko – whose full name is Mdletshe Albert Mazibuko – was born in Ladysmith, South Africa, in 1948. Mazibuko left school at the age of eight to work on a farm; a number of manual labouring jobs followed, including a stint in an asbestos factory.
In 1969, Mazibuko was asked to join male singing group Ladysmith Black Mambazo by founding member Joseph Shabalala, who was also his cousin.
Known for their harmonies, Ladysmith Black Mambazo fused a capella singing with traditional Zulu songs, leading to them gaining a recording contract one year after Mazibuko joined.
They released two albums in 1973, with Amabutho going on to become the first gold-selling album in Africa.
The collective received international attention in 1986, when they sang on Paul Simon’s historic album Graceland and subsequent world tour. The move was controversial, as Simon was accused of breaking the UN-approved cultural boycott of apartheid South Africa that was in place at the time.
But for Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the collaboration opened the group up to a global audience, and they continued to release music. They won five Grammy Awards – the most recent in 2018 – and even sang on the soundtrack to The Lion King II: Simba's Pride in 1998.
While Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s many members shifted and fluctuated, Mazibuko remained, performing with the group for 55 years. He was considered Shabalala’s “right hand man”, the group said.
The current line-up, who have been touring the US since February, consists of long-standing and younger members; when their founder retired in 2014, Mazibuko “became the wise elder for the younger members of the group”. Shabalala died in 2020 aged 78.
The group’s statement read: “Albert was a saint. He was kind to a fault. He loved traveling the world, spreading the mission and music of Ladysmith Black Mambazo. He never tired of talking about the group’s history and its desire to spread ‘Peace, Love and Harmony’ everywhere people had ears to listen.”
Following news of Mazibuko’s death, South African politician Gayton McKenzie paid tribute.
“More than a performer, he was the custodian of a uniquely South African sound that travelled across the world and united people through music,” he said.
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