Celebregion

South African jazz legend Hugh Masekela died on Tuesday aged 78, his family announced, triggering an outpouring of tributes to his music, his long career and his anti-apartheid activism. “After a protracted and courageous battle with prostate cancer, he passed peacefully in Johannesburg,” Masekela’s family said in a statement. It hailed his “activist contribution” to music, which it said, “was contained in the minds and memory of millions.” South African President Jacob Zuma praised Masekela as a “jazz artist, legendary trumpeter, cultural activist and liberation struggle veteran.” “He kept the torch of freedom alive globally fighting apartheid through his music and mobilising international support,” Zuma said.