Musician Sixto Rodriguez has passed away at the age of 81.
The singer-songwriter, the subject of the 2012 documentary Searching for Sugar Man, died on Tuesday. A cause of death has not been disclosed.
“It is with great sadness that we at Sugarman.org announce that Sixto Diaz Rodriguez has passed away earlier today,” read an announcement on his website. “We extend our most heartfelt condolences to his daughters – Sandra, Eva and Regan – and to all his family. Rodriguez was 81 years old. May His Dear Soul Rest In Peace.”
The Detroit-born musician, known professionally as Rodriguez, launched his career in 1967. He released two albums, Coming from Reality and Cold Fact, which featured the song Sugar Man, in the early 1970s but they were unsuccessful in his native U.S. and he was dropped from his label.
However, his music became hugely popular overseas, particularly in South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.
The 2012 documentary, Searching for Sugar Man, followed two South African fans who tried to track down Rodriguez in the 1990s. It won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 2013 Oscars.
Rodriguez experienced a career resurgence after the film’s release and went back on tour. He also made TV appearances, reissued his albums, and released compilation records.
He is survived by his three daughters.
