Legendary Detroit folksinger Sixto Rodriguez has died at the age of 81, the Sugarman.org website announced on Wednesday.
Rodriguez was the inspiration behind the Academy Award-winning documentary "Searching for Sugar Man" in 2012, which followed two South African men who attempted to find out whether rumors of Rodriguez's death were true.
He was born in Detroit and released several albums over the years, most of which were flops in the states, but were blockbusters overseas. Until the 2010s, he never knew how successful they were.
In South Africa, he'd been bigger than Elvis.
The film reveals the Wayne State grad largely worked as a laborer for all those years while living a modest life in Detroit.
He channeled his political spirit by running for council, Detroit mayor, and even state representative.
"I describe myself as a 'musical political' and that I am urban as opposed to rural,” explained Rodriguez.
He could relate to the working poor, and the injustices of the day. That struck a chord with the anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa.
His rock-n-roll out-shined the Rolling Stones there.
When Rodriguez found out some 20 years later about his superstar status, it was a magical reunion for both the artist and his fans. He sold out a string of South African concerts in the 90s.
So what did he think about the documentary?
"I didn't want to be in it really. I thought that it was, well, my personal private life and everything. So I wasn't sure what [the director] wanted to do, but at the end, he convinced me,” says Rodriguez. “And it has certainly excited my music career."
