Ray Phiri, who played guitar on Graceland, has died at age 70

Music
13 Jul 17

Ray Phiri, who played guitar on Graceland, has died at age 70

Ray Phiri, who played guitar on <i>Graceland</i>, has died at age 70

South African jazz musician Ray Phiri, who achieved global fame for his guitar arrangements on Paul Simon's Graceland, has died at age 70 after a battle with lung cancer.

Phiri passed away early Wednesday morning in a hospital in the city of Nelspruit, South Africa. The guitarist and vocalist had requested privacy from the media earlier this month.

Before his collaboration with Paul Simon, Phiri was a founding member of influential afro-fusion band Stimela. The group had a number of protest tracks against apartheid which authorities banned from radio play at the time.

Graceland itself was met with some criticism upon release, because the 1985 album was composed amidst UN-sanctioned boycotts of the apartheid state. South African choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo also contributed vocals on the record.

The ANC, South Africa's ruling political party, released a statement about the musician's death, calling Phiri "a voice for the voiceless and a legend of our time."

"An immensely gifted composer, vocalist and guitarist, he breathed consciousness and agitated thoughts of freedom through his music...He has played his role in unearthing and supporting new talent in the industry and has been an ardent and vocal advocate of the call for greater investment in local content development and the development of the industry as a whole," the statement says.

Fans have been taking to Twitter with the hashtag #RIPRayPhiri to express their sadness. Paul Simon himself posted a heartfelt statement, saying Phiri "will be remembered as a patriot who used his music to fight apartheid and brought that message to the world."