Singer Zahara, South Africa’s Afro-soul sensation, dies at 36

South African singer Zahara, who rose from an impoverished rural background to find rapid fame with multi-platinum selling albums, died at the age of 36. Zahara, whose real name was Bulelwa Mkutukana, died Monday, her family said in a statement posted on her official page on X, formerly Twitter. It gave no cause of death.

Zahara's family issues statement on her death

Earlier, Zahara was admitted to a hospital with an undisclosed issue and had asked for privacy. However, a month later, she died of undisclosed reasons. Her family issued a statement on her social media handle.

The post read, "It is with heavy hearts and deepest sorrow that we announced the passing away of our beloved daughter, sister, friend Zahara. Surrounded by family and loved ones, Zahara departed this world on Monday, 11 December 2023. She was a pure light, and an even pure heart in this world. A beacon of hope, a gift, and a blessing to us and countless people around the world. Zahara, a lengendary figure in the world of music, remarkably touched millions of people's lives with her extraordinary gift and passion for music."

"May she rest in eternal peace, and may her melodies continue to echo in our hearts forever," the post concluded.

Zahara's legacy in the music industry

Zahara’s debut 2011 album Loliwe — meaning The Train -- was certified double platinum and became South Africa’s second-fastest selling album after the 1997 record Memeza by Brenda Fassie, an icon of South African music.

Just 23 when Loliwe was released, Zahara was a sensation and immediately compared with Fassie, who also died young at 39.

Zahara won 17 South African music awards, was also recognised in Nigeria and was included on a list of the 100 most influential women in the world in 2020 by the BBC. She released four more albums -- one of them triple platinum and one platinum.

Zahara’s death prompted reaction from across South Africa, including all major political parties and South Africa’s Parliament, which said in a statement "it was difficult to accept the news of Zahara’s passing" at such a young age.

Zahara became known as South Africa’s Country Girl,”a testament to her upbringing in the rural Eastern Cape province, but also how her award-winning music came with a highly-effective simplicity; through her voice and an acoustic guitar. Her songs were marked with references to her Christian religion but also to South Africa’s painful history of apartheid, even if she was only a young child when it ended.

(With inputs from AP)