Obituary : Entertainment Industry Mourns Johnny Clegg

Johnny Clegg, a South African anthropologist and artiste, who was often referred to as the “White Zulu” because of his racial origin and mix with local Zulu culture and musicians, is no more. The British-born singer died on July 16, 2019 at the age of 66 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.
Amongst the tributes pouring in following the death, the South African government said of Clegg: “He has left deep footprints in our hearts. He showed us what it was to assimilate and embrace other cultures without losing your identity.” His long-time music manager, Ronny Quinn, who announced the news of his death, said Clegg left “deep footprints in the hearts of every person that considers himself or herself to be an African.”
Born in Bacup, near Rochdale, England, in 1953, to an English father and Zimbabwean mother, Clegg was brought up in Zimbabwe. The mother later married a South African journalist and immigrated to South Africa when he was seven years old. Johnny Clegg was a singer, songwriter, dancer, anthropologist and a musical activist whose infectious crossover music - a vibrant blend of Western pop and African Zulu rhythms - exploded onto the international scene and broke through all the barriers in his own country. 
Over three decades, Clegg sold over five million albums worldwide. A vocal critic of the white minority Apartheid government that ruled South Africa until 1994, Johnny Clegg “uniquely blended Western and Zulu music.” His best known hit, “Asimbonanga” (“We have not seen him”) in Zulu was released in 1987. It was dedicated ...