Legendary singer-songwriter Sixto Rodriguez dead at 81
The legendary and elusive singer-songwriter Sixto Diaz Rodriguez, best known mononymously as Rodriguez, has died aged 81.
Stephen “Sugar” Segerman, the editor of SugarMan.org, Rodriguez’s official website, confirmed the sad news on Wednesday, August 9th. “We’ve confirmed with his daughter, Sandra, that he passed away yesterday, 8 August, at 17:30 Detroit time,” the post read.
Segerman revealed that Rodriguez had been ill for several months following a stroke. The ‘Sugar Man’ singer turned 81 in July and celebrated the milestone with a tribute concert in his hometown of Detroit.
“He was there for a little while, but he wasn’t in great shape,” Segerman commented, adding that the “massive tribute concert” was a success.
“We extend our most heartfelt condolences to his daughters – Sandra, Eva and Regan – and to all his family. May His Dear Soul Rest In Peace,” the post concluded.
Rodriguez was famed for hits including ‘I Wonder’, ‘The Establishment Blues’, ‘Hate Street Dialogue’ and his nickname signature track, ‘Sugar Man’. Like his notable contemporary Bob Dylan, Rodriguez’s material often pointed a prying finger at the sociopolitical climate of the US.
Most famously, Rodriguez’s remarkable life story was immortalised in the documentary film Searching for Sugar Man in 2012. Although he made a small ripple in the Michigan music scene in the late 1960s and early ’70s, releasing two remarkable records – 1970’s Cold Fact and 1972’s Coming from Reality – Rodriguez failed to break through to national fame.
Rodriguez quit music altogether in 1976, taking up work in demolition and construction, yielding modest earnings and maintaining a humble profile. That same year, he invested in a dilapidated property acquired through a government auction for a mere $50 (equivalent to $257 in 2022). The house became his primary address, where he was still known to reside as recently as 2013.
With his musical pursuit on ice, Rodriguez remained actively engaged in politics, driven by his lifelong dream to enhance the well-being of the working-class populace of Michigan. His dedication to the cause was evident through his multiple, albeit unsuccessful, endeavours in seeking public office. These included campaigns for the Detroit City Council in 1989, the mayoral position of Detroit in 1981 and 1993, and a bid for the Michigan House of Representatives in 2000.
Most remarkably of all, Rodriguez’s music garnered significant attention overseas through his years of inactivity, especially in Australia, Botswana, New Zealand, South Africa and Zimbabwe, thanks to the infiltration of bootleg records.
Unbeknownst to him, Rodriguez became a thing of legend in South Africa, where his politically driven music caught the imagination of a generation struggling amid the Anti-Apartheid Movement. As Malik Bendjelloul documents in Searching for Sugarman, two South African fans sought the legendary musician in an effort to debunk rife rumours that claimed Rodriguez had committed suicide on stage in the 1970s.
Needless to say, the pair found Rodriguez to be alive and well, living out a quiet existence in Michigan. Only when Searching for Sugarman arrived in 2012 did this extraordinary singer-songwriter receive the worldwide respect he deserved.
Watch the trailer for Malik Bendjelloul’s Oscar-winning documentary, Searching for Sugarman, below.
