FUSION ICON ‘STIMELA’S PHIRI DIES OF CANCER

PHIRI

MBABANE – A dark cloud has once again hit the entertainment industry as 70-year-old former Stimela frontman Ray Phiri has passed away.

The legendary jazz, fusion and mbaqanga artist who has performed a number of times in the country and also has a number of friends locally died yesterday morning. He had been battling lung cancer and was being treated at a Nelspruit hospital when he passed away in the early hours of the morning.
Music lovers did not believe it when they got the news that the artist had passed away. 

Phiri’s family had confirmed the news a few hours after his death.  Family spokesperson Paul Nkanyane said they were devastated and still did not believe that he was no more.
“He has been ill for the past few days. I spoke to him on Monday and he was struggling but unfortunately, there was nothing we could have done.

The doctors said they tried all that they could to help him out.” Local friends of the musician have received his passing with great pain. Swaziland National Council of Arts and Culture (SNCAC) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Stanley Dlamini also expressed great shock at the sudden death of the artist, sending condolences to Phiri’s family as well as all artists who he said had lost a great man in Phiri.  Dlamini said he last saw Phiri in December as he was present for a meeting held between the Council and the Mpumalanga Municipality where discussions were held for the Mpumalanga Cultural Experience.

“I would like to send condolences to his family and all artists as a whole, as the industry has lost someone who still had much to give,” he said.  Phiri was born on March 23, 1947 near Nelspruit, Mpumalanga.
He was a founding member of the Cannibals in the 1970s. Later, the Cannibals would grow in size and rename themselves, becoming the hugely influential Afro-fusion band Stimela.


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