SA gospel singer Lundi Tyamara passes on

The award-winning musician died in the early hours of 27 January at Edenvale Hospital in Johannesburg. The ‘Nginga Hlanzwa’ hit maker has been battling with stomach tuberculosis and liver complications, and has been in and out of hospital since December last year after the initial diagnosis.

On Monday this week, Lundi was moved to an intensive care Unity facility when his condition worsened.

Part of the statement released by his family reads, "We will always remember him for how he brightened up our days with his God-given talent, rest in peace."

Former General Secretary of the Congress of South African Trade Unions, Zwelivanzi Vavi tweeted this morning, “Yet another super talented artist gone too soon; my deepest condolences to the family, friends and fans of LundiTyamara, Rest in peace Lundi.”

Born in Western Cape Province, Lundi was been one of the most prominent voices in the South African music industry since the release of his first multi-platinum selling album titled Mphefumulo Wami. In a career spanning more than a decade, Lundi, whose career started at age 21, released more than 14 albums. Those albums sold over 3.7 million copies in south Africa.

A few years ago, his name made headlines for the wrong reason: he had become a drug addict. Despite the negative publicity, the talented singer continued to move copies, winning at the SAMA Awards, the KORA Awards and the Crown Gospel Music Awards.

His career was affected for some time after he lost both his parents and when his longtime producer Tshepo Nzimande left Bula Music, a record label he was signed to. After Nzimande’s departure, Lundi released three albums, all of which were flops. The two reunited for the release of an album titled Ndim’ Lo, which marked a resurgence. Unfortunately, Lundi did not manage to recapture the attention of many gospel music lovers, who had slowly begun to focus on other artists including the late Sfiso Ncwane and Dr Tumi.