South African Jazz Musician Ray Phiri Dies

The SABC on this morning reported that South
African jazz legend, Ray Phiri had died. The 70-
year-old musician suffered from lung cancer and
had recently been admitted to a hospital in
Nelspruit.
In an interview with The Sowetan earlier this
month Phiri asked for space and privacy during
his sickbed. He told the newspaper: “Let me
suffer [in peace with my] pain, on my own with
my dignity.”
Phiri - a jazz, fusion and mbaqanga musician -
was born on 23 March 1947 near Nelspruit ,
Mpumalanga. He was a founding member of the
Cannibals in the 1970s. Later, the Cannibals
would grow in size and rename themselves,
becoming the hugely influential Afro-fusion band
Stimela.
Phiri was scheduled to perform at Rocking the
Daisies music festival later this year. May God
rest his soul.