Monday, November 10, 2008

Miriam Makeba Collapses On Stage, Dies at 76



BBC NEWS - South African singing legend Miriam Makeba has died aged 76, after being taken ill in Italy.

She had just taken part in a concert near the southern town of Caserta and died of a heart attack.

Makeba, known as "Mama Africa", spent more than 30 years in exile after lending her support to the anti-apartheid struggle.

She appeared on Paul Simon's Graceland tour in 1987 and in 1992 had a leading role in the film Sarafina!

Makeba, was born in Johannesburg on 4 March 1932 and was a leading symbol in the struggle against apartheid.

  • 1932: Born Johannesburg, South Africa
  • 1959: Stars in the jazz opera King Kong and anti-apartheid film Come Back, Africa, met Harry Belafonte
  • 1960: Barred from South Africa
  • 1963: Testifies against apartheid at the United Nations
  • 1966: Becomes the first African woman to win a Grammy award
  • 1968: Marries Black Panther Stokely Carmichael and moves to Guinea
  • 1985: Moves to Brussels after her child Bongi dies in childbirth
  • 1990: Returns to South Africa after personal request from Nelson Mandela
  • 2005: Begins a "farewell tour" of the world that lasts three years
  • 2008: Dies in Caserta, Italy following a concert, aged 76

Her singing career started in the 1950s as she mixed jazz with traditional South African songs.

She came to international attention in 1959 during a tour of the United States with South African group the Manhattan Brothers.

She was forced into exile soon after when her passport was revoked after starring in an anti-apartheid documentary and did not return to her native country until after Nelson Mandela was released from prison in 1990.

Makeba was the first black African woman to win a Grammy Award, which she shared with Harry Belafonte in 1965.

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Khawuleza 1966



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