IN PICTURES: Jazz veteran Thandi Klaasen

Award winning jazz artist Thandi Klaasen has died at the age of 86.

The news comes just days after Klaasen's daughter‚ singer Lorraine Klaasen, confirmed on Facebook that the singer had been battling pancreatic cancer.

The award winning singer and dancer died in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Klaasen was a jazz musician from Sophiatown famous for her role in the musical King Kong.

She began her career singing in local churches and wanted to become a jazz singer after she saw a jazz group perform at her school.

In her teens, Klaasen was attacked with an acid bomb that permanently disfigured her face.

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