Cape singing star dies

Zayn Adam during his performance at the Grand Arena, GrandWest, in 2012 to mark his milestone of being in the music industry for 50 years. File picture: Ian Landsberg

Zayn Adam during his performance at the Grand Arena, GrandWest, in 2012 to mark his milestone of being in the music industry for 50 years. File picture: Ian Landsberg

Published Feb 23, 2015

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Cape Town - Cape Town singing legend Zayn Adam has died.

Adam had reportedly suffered a heart on Wednesday and was in Groote Schuur Hospital after undergoing an operation.

The Give A Little Love singer was set to perform with his band Pacific Express at next weekend’s Jazz on The Rocks, and the Cape Town International Jazz Festival next month.

Adam was born in Salt River in 1947 and started playing guitar when he was 11 years old. His father and brother captained a Cape Malay choir, The Celtics Singkoor. Adam turned “pro” when he was 15 when he joined the Golden City Dixies carnival show.

He soon went on to bigger things. Adam told the Cape Argus in an interview: “I was standing on a ladder washing windows when I was given a telephone number to call. Three weeks later I was on a train to Joburg – where I joined Majiet Omars, the Bing Crosby of the ’60s, in Stars Of Africa. I was in a calypso trio.”

Adam later shot to stardom when he fronted seminal 70s soul act Pacific Express – what some refer to as “Cape Town’s answer to Earth, Wind and Fire”.

The band reunited last year after a break of over 25 years.

IOL, Cape Argus and Daily Voice

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