Mandela bids farewell to 'empress of African song'
International music star Miriam Makeba during her last performance in Castelvolturno, near Naples on November 09, 2008 Photo: Getty Images
Tuesday November 11 2008
South African singer Miriam Makeba, one of Africa's best known voices and a champion of the fight against apartheid,has died of a heart attack after a concert in Italy, writes Serena Chaudhry. She was 76.
Known as "Mama Africa" and the "empress of African song", Makeba was the first black South African musician to gain international fame, winning renown in the 1950s for her sweeping vocals. She was loathed by South Africa's white minority rulers.
Former South African president and anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela paid homage to the singer, calling her "South Africa's first lady of song".
"She used her worldwide fame to focus attention on the abomination of apartheid," he said in a letter.
