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South African jazz legend Hugh Masekela dies, aged 78
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South African jazz maestro Hugh Masakela performs during the Sawa Sawa festival 02 June 2007 at the Aboretum gardens in Nairobi, dubbed as the biggest free open air music concert ever staged in Kenya. (AFP/Simon Maina )
S
outh African jazz legend Hugh Masekela died on Tuesday aged 78, his family announced, triggering an outpouring of tributes to his music, his long career and his anti-apartheid activism.
"After a protracted and courageous battle with prostate cancer, he passed peacefully in Johannesburg," Masekela's family said in a statement.
It hailed his "activist contribution" to music, which it said "was contained in the minds and memory of millions."
South African President Jacob Zuma praised Masekela as a "jazz artist, legendary trumpeter, cultural activist and liberation struggle veteran."
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"He kept the torch of freedom alive globally fighting apartheid through his music and mobilizing international support," Zuma said.
"It is an immeasurable loss to the music industry and to the country at large."
Masekela fled apartheid South Africa in 1960, and did not return until after the release of Nelson Mandela in 1990.
Among his greatest hits were the beloved anthem "Bring Him Back Home", demanding Mandela's freedom from jail, and "Grazing in the Grass".
Keeping up his international touring schedule into his 70s with energetic shows,
