The musician featured in the documentary Searching for Sugar Man, Sixto Rodriguez, has perished at the age of 81. Tuesday, according to the singer’s official website, he passed away.
Sixto Rodriguez began his career in 1967, but initially struggled to achieve success in his native United States. Eventually, his record label dismissed him.
However, his music progressively gained a cult following abroad, and his recordings sold well and were played frequently in South Africa and Australia.
In the 2012 Oscar-winning documentary Searching for Sugar Man, two South African admirers tracked down Rodriguez to determine his whereabouts.
Despite the popularity of his music in the country, little was known about Rodriguez, and false rumors circulated that he had committed suicide on stage in the 1970s.
Sixto Rodriguez, however, was still alive and residing in Detroit, having returned to a life of relative anonymity and construction labor.
He was unaware of his notoriety abroad, which derived in part from bootleg copies of his album Cold Fact circulating in South Africa, where it had become the unofficial soundtrack to anti-apartheid youth protests.
Eva, Rodriguez’s eldest daughter, discovered a website dedicated to him in 1997 when the internet was still in its inception and despite Rodriguez’s success in the country, he was unaware of his success in South Africa.
After contacting the website, Rodriguez embarked on his initial tour of South Africa
The Mexican-American singer and guitarist performed a series of sold-out performances in the nation’s largest arenas before touring Australia.
The 2012 release of the Sugar Man documentary, which depicted the tale of Rodriguez uncovering his own fame overseas, gave Rodriguez’s career another boost, and he subsequently resumed touring and recording.
Four decades after their initial release, Cold Fact and Coming From Reality, two albums recorded by Rodriguez in the early 1970s, became popular worldwide, and Rodriguez performed at festivals such as Coachella and Glastonbury.
“With great sadness, we at Sugarman.org announce that Sixto Diaz Rodriguez passed away earlier today,” read a statement posted on his official website.
“We extend our deepest condolences to Sandra, Eva, and Regan, as well as the rest of his family. Rodriguez’s age was 81. May His Spirit Rest In Peace.”
The musician’s cause of passing has not been disclosed. The producer of Searching For Sugar Man, Simon Chinn, described Rodriguez’s demise as “such sad news.”
“Knowing him was an honor, as he was a true legend,” he said. “What an honor it is to share his incredible story with the world. Rest in peace, Rodriguez; your music will endure eternally.”
David Scott, also known as The Kiffness, a South African musician, described Sixto Rodriguez as a “legend with the most incredible life story.”
“In the United States, he lived in relative obscurity, but in South Africa, he was wildly popular without ever realizing it,” he said.
We will never again be witnesses to a story like his in our lifetime.
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