Lucky hailed as immortal legend

JOHANNESBURG – Slain reggae star Lucky Dube was hailed as an immortal legend of African music on Wednesday as fans, fellow musicians and heads of state paid their final respects at a memorial service in Johannesburg.

Hundreds of mourners packed into a hall in the artists’ quarter of Newtown to bid farwell to the 43-year-old South African who was gunned down during an apparent botched hijacking last Thursday night in front of his two children. “Lucky was a legend,” said South African musician Sipho Hotstix Mabuse in an address to mourners which was relayed to crowds outside on a giant screen.”He was right when he said: ‘Rastas never die’,” added Mabuse as some of Dube’s biggest hits were played on loud speakers.Dube, who recorded tracks in Zulu, English and Afrikaans, was one of the first artists to play reggae in his homeland and was widely admired abroad.British pop star Peter Gabriel, in a message read out to the mourners, recalled the ‘extraordinary’ talent of Dube who sold millions of albums in a career that spanned two decades.”I am extremely upset to learn of the loss of such a wonderful artist in such an unnecessary and brutal way,” said Gabriel, who first came across Dube as they jointly campaigned against the now-fallen apartheid regime.”Lucky Dube was an extraordinary artist and mesmerising performer with whom I was very happy to tour.I will miss the unique artist with such a big heart.”Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade sent a message of condolence saying he had learnt of his death with ‘great sadness’ and condemned ‘this horrible act’.”Dube’s death is a serious blow to Africa’s cultural heritage,” added Wade.Gambian President Yahya Jammeh said he had heard the news of the killing with “dismay and profound sadness”.”The loss is felt not only in South Africa but also in Africa and indeed the world,” he said.Dube’s killing has provoked widespread condemnation in South Africa and beyond and renewed calls for the restoration of the death penalty in a bid to stem one of the world’s higest murder rates.South African President Thabo Mbeki has said the death of Dube should provoke a common commitment by the public ‘to confront this terrible scourge of crime’ in a country where 50 people are murdered everyday.Nampa-Sapa”Lucky was a legend,” said South African musician Sipho Hotstix Mabuse in an address to mourners which was relayed to crowds outside on a giant screen.”He was right when he said: ‘Rastas never die’,” added Mabuse as some of Dube’s biggest hits were played on loud speakers.Dube, who recorded tracks in Zulu, English and Afrikaans, was one of the first artists to play reggae in his homeland and was widely admired abroad.British pop star Peter Gabriel, in a message read out to the mourners, recalled the ‘extraordinary’ talent of Dube who sold millions of albums in a career that spanned two decades.”I am extremely upset to learn of the loss of such a wonderful artist in such an unnecessary and brutal way,” said Gabriel, who first came across Dube as they jointly campaigned against the now-fallen apartheid regime.”Lucky Dube was an extraordinary artist and mesmerising performer with whom I was very happy to tour.I will miss the unique artist with such a big heart.”Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade sent a message of condolence saying he had learnt of his death with ‘great sadness’ and condemned ‘this horrible act’.”Dube’s death is a serious blow to Africa’s cultural heritage,” added Wade.Gambian President Yahya Jammeh said he had heard the news of the killing with “dismay and profound sadness”.”The loss is felt not only in South Africa but also in Africa and indeed the world,” he said.Dube’s killing has provoked widespread condemnation in South Africa and beyond and renewed calls for the restoration of the death penalty in a bid to stem one of the world’s higest murder rates.South African President Thabo Mbeki has said the death of Dube should provoke a common commitment by the public ‘to confront this terrible scourge of crime’ in a country where 50 people are murdered everyday.Nampa-Sapa