Sixto Diaz Rodriguez, the legendary singer-songwriter happy to be known only by his surname who rose to international fame in the 1970s and 80s, has died. He was 81.
Although the Detroit-born singer’s career was initially met with indifference in the United States, he quickly found success in South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.
Stephen “Sugar” Segerman – who curates SugarMan.org Rodriguez’s official blog and website – confirmed his death to News24 on Wednesday.
File/Rodriguez arrives to “Late Show with David Letterman” at Ed Sullivan Theater on August 14, 2012 in New York City. (Jeffrey Ufberg/WireImage)
“We’ve confirmed with his daughter, Sandra, that he passed away yesterday, 8 August, at 17:30 Detroit time,” he told the outlet. Sugar added Rodriguez had been ill for some time before his death, after suffering a stroke.
The Sugar Man singer turned 81 last month and celebrated with a gathering of musicians in Detroit.
Sixto Diaz Rodriguez performs at The Sasquatch! Music Festival at the Gorge Amphitheatre on Sunday, May 25, 2014, in George, Washington. (Photo by John Davisson/Invision/AP)
“He was there for a little while but he wasn’t in great shape,” Sugar said, adding the celebration ended in a “massive tribute concert.”
Rodriguez was the subject of an Academy Award-winning documentary called Searching for Sugar Man back in 2012.
A follow-up 2013 Associated Press story referred to Rodriguez as “the greatest protest singer and songwriter that most people never heard of.”
That exposure thrust him back into the wider public view and eventually ignited interest in his career along with several more live performances.
Born 1942 as the sixth child, he launched his career in 1967 and would eventually find more success overseas in the mid-70s and on to the 80s.
That includes in South Africa, where he’s believed to have sold more records than Elvis Presley.
He leaves behind three daughters.