Jazz Services/Heritage Images/Getty ImagesSouth African jazz trumpeter Hugh Masekela, who topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1968 with his hit instrumental version of “Grazing in the Grass,” has died at the age of 78. Masekela’s family announced his passing Tuesday via a statement on his official website, revealing that he died “peacefully in Johannesburg, South Africa,” following “a protracted and courageous battle with prostate cancer.”
Masekela left his home country in 1960 while South Africa was still ruled under the oppressive apartheid system, and remained in exile for 30 years. He made his way to the U.S., where he honed his skills as a horn player under the tutelage of jazz legends Dizzy Gillespie and Louis Armstrong. Hugh was married to South African singer Miriam Makeba for several years during the 1960s.
Masekela gained notoriety in 1967 when he performed at the Monterey Pop Festival alongside Janis Joplin, Otis Redding, The Jefferson Airplane, The Byrds and many others. That same year, Hugh contributed to the Byrds hit “So You Want to Be a Rock ‘n’ Roll Star” before scoring his own smash the next year with “Grazing in the Grass.”
Years later, Masekela toured with Paul Simon in support of Simon’s award-winning 1986 album Graceland, and he also played on Simon’s 1990 album, Rhythm of the Saints.
Much of Masekela’s music protested the harsh treatment of South Africa’s black citizens under apartheid. He finally returned to his home country in the early 1990s after the apartheid regime was overthrown.
In their statement announcing his death, Masekela’s family praised him as a “loving father, brother, grandfather and friend,” adding, “Hugh’s global and activist contribution to and participation in the areas of music, theatre, and the arts in general is contained in the minds and memory of millions across 6 continents.”
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