July
Obituaries
Lucky Philip Dube
b. 3 August 1964, Ermelo,
South Africa
d. Aged 43, 18 October 2007, Johannesburg, South Africa
Lucky Dube was an African reggae music pioneer and South Africa’s
biggest selling reggae artist, having recorded 22 albums in Zulu, English
and Afrikaans in 25 years. He begun his career singing mbaqanga music
in South Africa and recorded the album ‘Kudala Ngikuncenga’
with the Super Soul band in 1982. Having discovered Rastafarianism during
his school years and inspired by reggae artists such as Jimmy Cliff and
Peter Tosh, he later moved into reggae music, recording albums such as
Rastas Never Die (1984), Think About the Children (1985), Slave (1987),
Victims (1993) and Serious Reggae Business (1996). Lucky has been described
as a cultural activist who used his music to highlight the oppression
of his people and demand political action and the need for unity in South
Africa.
Lucky was dropping his son off in Rosettenville when he was attacked and shot by armed robbers who attempted to steal his car, he died almost instantly. He is survived by his wife, Zanele and his seven children Bongi, Nonkululeko, Thokozani, Laura, Siyanda, Philani and 3-month-old Melokuhle. The South African Minister of Arts and Culture, Dr. Pallo Jordan, who said: “The violent death of Lucky Dube is not only a family tragedy but a monumental loss for the nation and for music lovers the world over.”
