Detroit musician in ‘Sugar Man’ doc ‘more popular than Elvis’ in S. Africa
DETROIT — Sixto Rodriguez, who lived in obscurity as his music career flamed out early in the U.S. only to find success in South Africa and a stardom he was unaware of, died Tuesday in Detroit. He was 81.
Mr. Rodriguez’s legacy would take off back home after the singer and songwriter became the subject of the Oscar-winning documentary “Searching for Sugar Man.”
His death was announced on the Sugarman.org website and confirmed Wednesday by his granddaughter, Amanda Kennedy.
He died following a short illness, according to his wife, Konny Rodriguez, 72.
A 2013 Associated Press story referred to Mr. Rodriguez as “the greatest protest singer and songwriter that most people never heard of.”
His albums flopped in the United States in the 1970s, but — unknown to him — he later became a star in South Africa, where his songs protesting the Vietnam War, racial inequality, abuse of women and social mores inspired white liberals horrified by the country’s brutal racial system of apartheid.
Swedish filmmaker Malik Bendjelloul’s documentary “Searching for Sugar Man” presented Mr. Rodriguez to a much larger audience. The film tells of two South Africans’ mission to seek out the fate of their musical hero. It won the Academy Award for best documentary in 2013.
Mr. Rodriguez was “more popular than Elvis” in South Africa, Stephen “Sugar” Segerman said in 2013. The Cape Town record store owner’s nickname comes from the Rodriguez song “Sugar Man.”
As his popularity in South Africa grew, Mr. Rodriguez lived in Detroit. But his fans in South Africa believed he also was famous in the United States. They heard stories that the musician had died dramatically.
In 1996, Segerman and journalist Carl Bartholomew-Strydom set out to learn the truth. Their efforts led them to Detroit, where they found Mr. Rodriguez working on construction sites.
Mr. Rodriguez said he just “went back to work” after his music career fizzled, raising a family that includes three daughters and launching several unsuccessful campaigns for public office. He made a living through manual labor in Detroit.
Still, he never stopped playing his music. “I felt I was ready for the world, but the world wasn’t ready for me,” Mr. Rodriguez told the AP. “I feel we all have a mission — we have obligations. Those turns on the journey, different twists — life is not linear.”
Konny Rodriguez said the couple met in 1972 while students at Wayne State University in Detroit and married in the early 1980s. Although still married at the time of his death, the couple had been separated for a number of years, she said Wednesday.
After the end of apartheid, Sixto Rodriguez did travel to South Africa and perform in front of his fans there, she said.
“He did so well in South Africa. It was insane,” Konny Rodriguez said.