THE legendary jazz singer, Thandi Klaasen, has died at the age of 86.
She died in the early hours on January 15 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Not only was she known as one of the best jazz artists, but also a woman who was loved by everyone, including the late president Nelson Mandela.
Lorraine Klaasen, her daughter, posted a status earlier in the week on her Facebook page where she said that her mother was fighting pancreatic cancer. The RECORD interviewed Thandi in 2015 where she said that no matter what happens to her in the future, she will always be like a shinning star and that is the way she wants to be remembered.
Thandi grew up in Sophiatown. As a teenager, her face was permanently scarred by a mix of thinners and petroleum. Her career as a singer and dancer began in the mid-1950s. The jazz singer had a very close relationship with former president Nelson Mandela and she performed at his wedding, his birthdays and his funeral. “He was a people’s person and very friendly,” she said.
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Thandi has also received many honours, most recently the Presidential Order of the Baobab, in gold, from President Jacob Zuma.
Messages of condolence and sympathy are trending on Social Media.
Minister of Arts and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa, wrote this on Twitter: “We are saddened to learn that Jazz Legend Thandi Klaasen has passed on. Our thoughts are with her daughter Lorraine, her loved ones, & fans.”
We are saddened to learn that Jazz Legend Thandi Klaasen has passed on. Our thoughts are with her daughter Lorraine, her loved ones, & fans. pic.twitter.com/vGbOQotbeJ
— Nathi Mthethwa (@NathiMthethwaSA) January 15, 2017
How much she touched our spirits and made us complete beings in a world in which things were falling apart.
— Nathi Mthethwa (@NathiMthethwaSA) January 15, 2017
Thandi leaves her two children, three grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren behind.
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