Today marks 13 years of the loss of legend, Brenda Fassie.
On the 9th May 2004, the wonderful Brenda Fassie passed away.
Sorrow filled South African streets as the The Black Madonna took her final breath.
Brenda Fassie was a South African, anti-apartheid Afropop singer and a true icon for all South Africans.
She was sometimes described as the Queen of African pop and she earned a reputation of outrageousness.
Brenda was born in Cape Town and was the youngest of 9 children.
Her fate was already written in the stars as she was named after the American singer, Brenda Lee.
At the age of 16 she left home to pursue her dreams.
Most of her albums became multi-platinum sellers; Memeza (one of her albums) being a best-seller in South Africa in 1998.
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On 26 April 2004, Fassie collapsed in her home in Gauteng.
The post-mortem report revealed that she had taken an overdose of cocaine on the night of her collapse, and this was the cause of her coma.
She struggled with her breathing and suffered brain damage due to lack of oxygen. While she was in the hospital she was visited by many beloved South African personalities which included Nelson Mandela, Winnie Mandela, and Thabo Mbeki.
When she passed at age 39, she had her family and long term partner by her side.
– Richelle Neethling