‘Searching For Sugar Man’ singer-songwriter Rodriguez has died

9 August, 2023

Sixto Diaz Rodriguez

Legendary singer-songwriter Sixto Diaz Rodriguez has died at the age of 81, it has been confirmed.

The star – who was known only by his last name – reportedly suffered a stroke in the months before his death and struggled with illness following the incident.

A post shared on the musician’s official blog and website announced his death. “It is with great sadness that we at Sugarman.org announce that Sixto Diaz Rodriguez has passed away earlier today,” it read. “We extend our most heartfelt condolences to his daughters – Sandra, Eva and Regan – and to all his family.”

Rodriguez’s death was also confirmed to News24 by Stephen “Sugar” Segerman, who runs SugarMan.org. “We’ve confirmed with his daughter, Sandra, that he passed away yesterday, August 8, at 17:30 Detroit time,” Segerman said.

Sixto Diaz Rodriguez
Sixto Diaz Rodriguez in 2014 CREDIT: Suzi Pratt/FilmMagic

After releasing two poorly-selling albums (1970’s ‘Cold Fact’ and 1971’s ‘Coming From Reality’) on Sussex Records, he was dropped and quit music in favour of working in the demolition and production line industries.

While Rodriguez’s records failed to make a mark in the US at the time of their release, they gained numerous fans abroad, with his popularity rising in countries like Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Botswana, and Zimbabwe. ‘At His Best’, a compilation album released by Australian label Blue Goose, was certified platinum in South Africa, while he toured Australia in 1979 and 1981.

Decades later, after learning that his fame in South Africa had only grown since the ‘70s, he held a tour there, during which time the documentary Dead Men Don’t Tour: Rodriguez in South Africa was filmed. The title was a nod to a rumour in the country that the star had killed himself during a concert decades earlier. He would go on to return to South Africa for more tours, performing in 2001 and 2005.

Over the years, Rodriguez slowly became a cult figure in his home country too, with Nas sampling his signature song ‘Sugar Man’ in the 2001 track ‘You Da Man’, while the track also appeared on the soundtrack for Heath Ledger’s 2006 film Candy. In 2009, his two studio albums were reissued by Light In The Attic Records.

His infamy reached its peak in 2012, though, with the premiere of the documentary Searching For Sugar Man. The film was directed by Malik Bendjelloul and followed two South African fans as they sought to find out if the rumours of Rodriguez’s death were true and, if not, what had happened to him. It was screened at Sundance Film Festival and went on to win the BAFTA for Best Documentary and the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature in 2013.

Following the film’s release, Rodriguez held a raft of headline shows and festival dates, including an appearance at Glastonbury 2013 and a headline slot at Wilderness Festival that same year.

Tributes have begun to be paid to the legendary singer-songwriter by musicians and fans. The Brian Jonestown Massacre’s Anton Newcombe wrote on Twitter/X: “RIP Sixto Rodriguez – I’m happy your people found you before you passed on.”

Shamir posted Rodriguez’s song ‘Cause’, writing: “RIP Sixto Rodriguez. This is literally one of the best songs ever written, and one of my absolute favs.”

 

See more tributes below.

This is a developing news story and will be updated.

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