South African reggae star Lucky Dube shot dead in attempted hijacking

October 20, 2007

An attempted carjacking Thursday evening in Johannesburg has left famous South African reggae star Lucky Dube dead. He was dropping his children off in the suburb of Rosettenville when he was attacked.

Police said that three gunshots were fired through the car window, injuring Dube. His children were out of the car at the time. An injured Dube then attempted to drive his car away from the area, but hit a tree soon after. He died at the scene. The police suspect that three people were responsible for the attack.

There has been an outrage in South Africa and around the world over the killing. Many radio stations were flooded with calls from tearful fans condemning the attack.

Lucky Dube was one of the most prominent reggae artists of all times - often remembered alongside Bob Marley for his songs on social issues. He began his career singing in Zulu and released his first album in 1982. He later moved to reggae and released is album 'Rastas Never Die'. This album was banned by the apartheid government. His other albums include Slave, Prisoner and Together As One and Respect - his most recent album which he released in April of this year.