Sixto Rodriguez, the Detroit-born rocker and subject of the Oscar-winning documentary Searching For Sugarman, has died.
His death at 81 years old was confirmed on his website, Sugarman.org.
“It is with great sadness that we at Sugarman.org announce that Sixto Diaz Rodriguez has passed away earlier today,” the statement reads.
“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.”
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Known professionally as Rodriguez, the singer-songwriter was born to Mexican immigrant parents.
His first two albums, 1970’s Cold Fact and 1971’s Coming to Reality, sold poorly, leading him to end his music career.
However, unknown to him, his music had built up a considerable following overseas, particularly in South Africa.
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Many of his songs became anti-apartheid anthems, although rumors about his death had started to spread.
Rodriguez eventually made contact with fans and, in 1998, he came out of retirement and went on his first tour in South Africa.
His unexpected comeback finally allowed him to find an audience in the USA, over 30 years after the release of his first albums.
Cold Fact and Coming to Reality were reissued in 2009, and his story became the subject of the Oscar-winning documentary, Searching for Sugarman.
The 2012 film won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, and Rodriguez went on to perform several successful live shows, including an appearance on The Late Show With David Letterman.
Rodriguez was said to have been ill in the months before his death after suffering a stroke.
He was separated from his second wife, Konny Koskos, at the time of his death.
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