Zahara has passed away, marking a sad day for the music industry and for the many fans who loved her music.

The Afropop star di3d in hospital on Monday night.

Bulelwa Mkutukana, known as Zahara, was born and raised at the Phumlani informal settlement in East London, being the sixth of seven children.

She joined the church choir at nine-years-old, and that’s where her love for music grew, not knowing at the time that she’d become an international sensation.

One of her siblings was sent to music school and came back with a guitar, which quickly became Zahara’s best friend, as she taught herself to play it and carried it everywhere she went.

She then became a street performer with the very same guitar in hand, and that’s where she was discovered by TS Records, a record label owned by TK Nciza, who is now the African National Congress’s (ANC) secretary in Gauteng.

In 2011, she released her debut album, Loliwe, which went double platinum in less than three weeks, making her one of the highest-selling artists during the time.

The following year, she scooped eight accolades at the South African Music Awards (SAMAs).

Zahara is being remembered on Tuesday as an icon, and, in the words of Black Coffee, the healer of many souIs.

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