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| Ray Phiri: South Africa’s Graceland star dies | Ray Phiri: South Africa’s Graceland star dies |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| South African jazz legend Ray Phiri has died at the age of 70 after a two-month battle with lung cancer. | South African jazz legend Ray Phiri has died at the age of 70 after a two-month battle with lung cancer. |
| The guitarist, producer and vocalist rose to fame when he featured on Paul Simon's Graceland album in 1986. | The guitarist, producer and vocalist rose to fame when he featured on Paul Simon's Graceland album in 1986. |
| He was admitted to hospital two weeks ago and died in the early hours of Wednesday morning. | |
| Family spokesperson Paul Nkanyane says he was surrounded by friends and relatives at the clinic, in the north-eastern city of Nelspruit. | |
| Mr Phiri's condition became public this week when a friend and fellow musician started a crowdfunding initiative to help pay for his medical bills. | |
| In an interview with The Sowetan newspaper earlier this month, Phiri said: "Let me suffer [in peace with my] pain, on my own with my dignity." | In an interview with The Sowetan newspaper earlier this month, Phiri said: "Let me suffer [in peace with my] pain, on my own with my dignity." |
| Tributes have been pouring in for Phiri on Twitter, with people using the hashtag #RIPRayPhiri: | Tributes have been pouring in for Phiri on Twitter, with people using the hashtag #RIPRayPhiri: |
| Before reaching international fame with Graceland, Phiri was already an established musician in South Africa and lead singer of 1970s band Stimela. | |
| The group's afro-fusion sounds combined jazz with mbaqanga - a Zulu musical style with rural roots. |