Sixto Diaz Rodriguez has passed away at the age of 81

Famed singer-songwriter Sixto Diaz Rodriguez has passed away at the age of 81. The news of Sugar Man’s death spread with a modest announcement on his official website and on his social media.

“It is with great sadness that we at Sugarman.org announce the passing of Sixto Diaz Rodriguez earlier today,” reads a statement posted to the American artist’s website Wednesday 8/9.

“Our deepest condolences to his daughters — Sandra, Eva, and Regan — and all of his family. Rodriguez was 81 years old. Beloved, may God rest his soul.”

The 2012 documentary Looking for the Sugar Man about Rodriquez, written and directed by Malek Benjelloul, won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 85th Academy Awards in 2013.

It charts the folk musician’s journey from obscurity to international recognition, decades after he produced two albums in Detroit in the early 1970s.

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Sixto Diaz Rodriguez’s career seemed short at first, with two low-selling albums from the early 1970s and two Australian tours to his credit. Although he developed a loyal following in Australia, unbeknownst to him, his music was achieving success and influencing an entire generation in South Africa.

According to the makers of the documentary about his story, Looking for the Sugar Man (2012), Rodriguez’s record sales have surpassed those of Elvis Presley (1935-1977) in South Africa. At the height of the musician’s fame in the African country, there were rumors that Rodriguez had committed suicide.

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From obscurity to success

His first two albums Cold Fact (1970) and Coming From Reality (1971) were commercial failures in the US and he considered this to be the end of his musical history. But at the same time, his voice was beginning to gain fans in other places, such as Botswana, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, without even knowing it.

A copy of his records was found there by accident, and his libertarian-sounding music became an anthem for progressive white youth angry at segregation.

In 1997 he discovered his now-fame in South Africa when his daughter found relevant information on the Internet.

So great was his success over the years that the craziest legends surrounded his face, most notably of his self-immolation on stage, while others reported that he died of a heroin overdose.

Until two of his fans, rock journalist Craig Bartholomew and a huge fan of his, Steven Segerman, who seeks to clear up…the mystery of his death, discover to their surprise that he is alive. They persuaded him to go to South Africa, where in 1998 he was given the 1998 Welcome of Champions for six sold-out concerts.

“I told him, back in South Africa, that you’re older than Elvis,” Sigerman told The News in 2008.

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A major country tour followed, and she gained further fame when “Sugar Man” was covered by Paolo Nutini and South African band Just Jinger.

Oscar winner

The Guardian notes that his fictional life became the subject of the 2012 documentary Looking for the Sugar Man, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival to great success. It won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature the following year, at the 85th Academy Awards in 2013.

Directed by Swedish filmmaker Malek Benjelloul, the documentary tells the incredible story of the musician’s journey from obscurity to global success decades after he recorded two albums in Detroit in the early 1970s.

{https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UC0AbW7niHk}

After its success, Rodriguez’s albums entered the US charts for the first time, and thanks to the documentary, some of his songs received a lot of attention, such as “Sugar Man” and “I Wonder”.

In the movie he appears detached, as if amused by this confession. But his precarious financial situation was also evident: he did not earn a dime from the hundreds of thousands of copies his albums sold in South Africa.