The Kenyan music industry and reggae fans, on Friday woke up to the shocking news of the killing of legendary South African reggae artist, Philip Dube aka Lucky Dube. The tragic death shocked reggae adherents across the continent. Lucky Dube was killed in a carjacking incident on Thursday in Rosettenville, Johannesburg.
I m lost for words. I am in shock, said Dube s fan, Mr Richard Wambua, who called The Saturday Standard from Isiolo. South African police said three gunmen shot Dube dead on Thursday evening in a foiled carjacking.
The incident took place at about 8.20pm when Dube was driving a blue Volkswagen Polo in a Johannesburg suburb, the police said. The award-winning artist had just dropped off his teenage son when the gunmen accosted and shot him.
He died at the scene. He was shot in the presence of his son whom he had just dropped off. The son watched helplessly as his father was shot, the report said.
Dube died at 43 just two months after he celebrated his birthday. He has sung many crime related songs and has died by the crime that he helped fight through his songs. He was christened Dube at the school choir where his stage singing talent was nurtured.
Despite the reputation of Rastafarians as heavy drinkers and smokers of the herb , Dube did not indulge. He died after he had just concluded a 24-day tour of the United States. Some of the songs touching on crime include Guns and Roses where he underscores the need for unity and end to the differences in the southern African country.
Besides singing, Dube also featured in a movie, which was aptly titled Getting Lucky and starred in the feature film Voice In The Dark alongside actor John Savage. His touring band was called The Slaves. He holds the record for having the longest product endorsement for a musician ever in South Africa - The product was Ace Maize Meal.
He is the only South African artist to have a record signed to Motown Records. He has won over 20 awards for his musical contribution - both in South Africa and globally. Dube has been using the same sound engineer since he started recording music, Dave Segal, the same man who also accompanies him on every tour.
In the song Crazy World, Dube points out the fact that human life has lost the dignity it had and death is more predictable than living. Dube lived and died in a city, Johannesburg, with one of the highest crime rates in the world. On Friday, his legion of fans in Kenya, jammed radio stations and media houses with calls expressing their shock at the violent killing of their hero.
Revellers in Nairobi requested for Dube s music, which was played amid the sombre mood. Dube leaves behind a legacy of reggae music laden with socio-political messages. He recorded more than 20 albums in his music career, which spanned more than 25 years.
He will be remembered most for his political music during the apartheid regime when he released albums such as, Together as One, Prisoner and Think about the Children. His latest album released in 2006, is called Respect. South Africa s President Thabo Mbeki, in a message of condolence to Dube s family, appealed to South Africans to unite and confront the scourge of crime.
News RSS