It is with immense sadness that we learn of Dr Oliver Mtukudzi's passing today on January 23rd, 2019, in Harare, Zimbabwe, from complications related to diabetes. Tuku, as people fondly call him, was not only an incredible musician recognised all around the world, he was also a great mentor of young and upcoming musicians in Zimbabwe, inspiring, teaching and motivating all those he worked with to push their own boundaries.

Oliver Dairai Mtukudzi was born on September 22, 1952, in Highfield - a dense, impoverished neighbourhood in Harare, Zimbabwe's capital city. The oldest of seven children, he grew up singing in the church choir but also listened to traditional mbira music.

He recorded his first single, Stop After Orange, in 1975, but only started to become well-known in 1977 after he joined the band Wagon Wheels. The band included Thomas Mapfumo, who is generally considered to be the only other Zimbabwean musician with a reputation to rival his. The Wagon Wheels' single, Dzandimomotera, was a huge hit and spent 11 weeks at the country’s number one spot.

Mtukudzi left Wagon Wheels to front his own band, the Black Spirits, which he had formed in 1975 and whose bestselling 1978 album Ndipeiwo Zano (Give Me Advice) was produced by the South African star West Nkosi.

Mtukudzi started to travel extensively across Zimbabwe from 1979 when the country's liberation struggle imposed curfew was removed. He played all over the country, even in the most remote areas, and in 1980 his album, Africa, became a soundtrack for the newly formed independent Zimbabwe.

Tuku's popularity in Zimbabwe reflects the fact that in a country that has grown to become so bitterly divided by political allegiances, he always positioned himself as a unifier. He sang at events for the ruling ZANU-PF party, but also performed at the wedding and funeral of Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of the country's main opposition party, MDC.

Tuku's songs boldly tell the stories of his communities, and he made no effort to avoid social issues. Todii is a cautionary song about the perils of H.I.V. from the 1997 album Tuku Music. The big hit, Wasakara, his most frankly political song, gives advice to an elderly man, “You are spent, it is time to accept you are old.” Most people interpreted this as referring to Mugabe.

By the time of Tuku's death, he had 67 albums to his name, with millions of copies sold during his 40 year career.

Tuku also sought to strengthen his community through deeds as well as music. In 2003, Tuku founded the Pakare Paye Arts Center, an arts complex built in Norton, just outside the capital city, Harare. With a recording studio, classrooms and performance spaces, the centre aims to offer young people a creative and social outlet to help combat unemployment. In 2011, he was named a UNICEF regional good-will ambassador for eastern and southern Africa.

Many around the world will miss his beautiful, husky voice, his elegant stage presence and his smooth rhythms on the guitar. Our condolences go out to his family during this painful time. He is survived by his wife, Daisy, and by five children and two grandchildren.

Rest in peace, zororai murugare, Nzou Samanyanga.

Rest in Peace Oliver Mtukudzi - An Obituary

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