Staff Writer
THE death of famed singer Randall Wicomb from prostate cancer after a short illness rocked the world of Afrikaans music, with fans and fellow musicians using social networks to send condolences to his family.
He died early yesterday morning surrounded by family and friends.
Wicomb had been performing until early December when his condition worsened, and was confined to his home in Stellenbosch. He was diagnosed with cancer in 2013.
Earlier this year Wicomb suffered the indignity of being forcibly evicted from the house he was renting in Stellenbosch when his landlord was granted an eviction order over unpaid rent.
Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille, in a short tweet, said: “What a sad loss to the music industry. RIP Randall Wicomb.” Afrikaans entertainer Emo Adams tweeted “Totsiens my Tjom (Goodbye, my mate) while former television presenter and business personality Doreen Morris tweeted: “Thank you for the music and your generous spirit. My condolences Ku-ba & family.”
His son Pierre-Hendré said his father, born in Oudtshoorn, was raised in Woodstock and attended Jan van Riebeeck junior and senior schools. Because he had been re-classified from coloured to “European” under apartheid, his family did not know his exact age. While it was widely reported that he was 66, his son said it was possible that his father was close to 71.