Mory Kanté, a Guinean music icon acclaimed to have further projected African music to global audiences has passed away at 70.
According to the BBC, Balla Kanté, the late singer’s son, said the vocalist died on Friday in a hospital at Conakry; the country’s capital city.
However, the cause of the singer’s death wasn’t disclosed. Balla reportedly said that Kanté passed away as a result of a number of untreated but chronic health problems.
“He suffered from chronic illnesses and often traveled to France for treatment but that was no longer possible with the coronavirus,” Balla Kanté said.
“We saw his condition deteriorate rapidly, but I was still surprised because he’d been through much worse times before.”
Kanté was born in 1950 into one of Guinea’s best-known families of musicians. He was only seven when he was sent to Mali, where he learned to play the kora harp; as well as traditional singing techniques.
He was best known internationally for his 1987 hit song Yé ké yé ké. The song was was a huge hit in Africa before becoming number one in Belgium, Finland, the Netherlands, and Spain
Akwaba Beach, the album from which the song came, would later become the best-selling African record of its time.
Some of his notable albums include Mory Kanté a Paris (1984), Touma (1990), and Nongo Village (1993).
Youssou N’Dour, a Senegalese musician, took to social media to mourn the music star. He noted in French, that he felt a huge void on learning of Kanté’s death.
Alpha Condé, the president of Guinea, also took to Twitter to pay tributes, while stating that Kanté’s career had been “exceptional.”
Watch Yé ké yé ké video below.
