Albert Mazibuko, a long-standing member of the Grammy-winning South African choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, has died at the age of 77. The singer, who performed with the group for 55 years, passed away on Sunday after a short illness.
His death was announced by fellow group members on Facebook. '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. 'We cannot express how broken our hearts are at this time.'
Born in Ladysmith, South Africa, in 1948, Mazibuko left school at eight to work on a farm and later in an asbestos factory. In 1969, he joined Ladysmith Black Mambazo at the invitation of his cousin and founder Joseph Shabalala. The group gained international fame after collaborating with Paul Simon on the 1986 album 'Graceland'.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo won five Grammy Awards, the most recent in 2018, and contributed to the soundtrack of 'The Lion King II: Simba's Pride'. Mazibuko was considered Shabalala's 'right hand man' and became the group's elder after Shabalala's retirement in 2014.
South African politician Gayton McKenzie paid tribute, saying: 'More than a performer, he was the custodian of a uniquely South African sound that travelled across the world and united people through music.'
