Music composer Mthandeni Mvelase died on Thursday morning on his way to the hospital.
The musician’s sudden passing was confirmed to Sunday World by his sister Khululiwe Sithole. She said her brother was riding in an Uber with a friend when he started to complain about his struggle to breathe.
Windows were rolled down but it was not enough, said Sithole, adding that the musician was then rushed to Addington Hospital for urgent treatment.
Sithole shared: “When I heard about my brother’s passing this morning, I was deeply heartbroken. The whole family is shuttered because it is not like he was sick, it was just a sudden thing.
“He was working on Sarafina [the musical] just last week, and I have been thinking about his music, then he is suddenly not with us.”
Mvelase, 56, rose to prominence when he joined a musical called Township Fever by Mbongeni Ngema, which took him to international stages in 1987.
He previously worked with Duma Ndlovu, the creator of popular SABC2 telenovela Muvhango, through his production company Word of Mouth. The two also worked on several other projects including The Journey and The Lion King auditions.
The self-taught multi-instrumentalist has also composed songs for Muvhango, Imbewu: The Seed, Ingozi, and Soul City, among others.
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