Harare, Zimbabwe (CNN)Oliver Mtukudzi, one of Zimbabwe’s most celebrated musicians, died Wednesday of an undisclosed ailment, a former colleague has said.
“He has rested. He had been in and out of the hospital since last year when he developed a heart problem,” Clive Mukundu, a music producer who worked with Mtukudzi, told CNN outside the private medical center where the 66-year-old musician was being treated.
A spokeswoman for his record label also confirmed the news to CNN.
Caroline Morabe said: “I can confirm that Oliver Mtukudzi has passed on. The family will release an official statement with more details later today.”
The soft-spoken star missed a prize-giving ceremony Tuesday, raising speculation that his illness had taken a toll.
Popularly known as “Tuku” by his fans, Mtukudzi had been successfully performing for decades throughout Africa, as well as in the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada.
Born into a musical family in 1952, his foot-stomping music has been described as a mixture of Zimbabwean pop style “jit” and South African township pop.
Through his distinct sound and inspiring lyrics, he documented the joy and pain of his countrymen who fought for freedom under colonial rule and died for democracy after Zimbabwe’s independence in 1980.
“Where I come from you don’t get to sing a song if you have nothing to say,” he said in a 2013 interview with CNN.