Sad farewell to Love Doc

20 June 2014 - 02:44 By Andile Ndlovu
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Eddie Zondi. File photo
Eddie Zondi. File photo
Image: Twitter

The widow of Metro FM veteran Eddie Zondi, Phakamile, said that while she is "terrified" at having to live without him, she will make sure his legacy lives on in their children.

Zondi , 47, died of a heart attack on Monday morning.

In a tribute read out by her sister, Lethiwe, during yesterday's memorial service at Standard Bank Arena in Johannesburg, Phakamile said Zondi's death had shattered the "promises and dreams" they had held as a couple.

Phakamile wrote: "Many are saying I should give it time and I will be fine.

"But I don't know if I will ever be fine without you. There is emptiness in my soul and I'm terrified of facing life without you.

"You gave me many things in life, gifts both great and small. But most of all you gave me love and two beautiful children.

"I will raise them the way you would have done. I promise that your legacy will live on in each of them."

Colleague Wilson B Nkosi compared his friendship to Zondi to that between Gayle King and Oprah Winfrey, and Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte - and read out a poem about the bond they shared.

Nkosi said his cellphone bill would probably be 90% less now that he could no longer call his best friend.

In his 18 years at Metro FM, Zondi was more than just a DJ who played love ballads during his The Romantic Repertoire show on Sundays, he was a confidant and a pillar of support to listeners.

He was a counsellor - someone who helped a listener cope with her heartache and told another how to court women.

DJ Sbu said Zondi had built his "own audience".

He said: "People fall in love with shiny things. But he kept it real and stuck to what he knew. I look at him as someone who has inspired me and been exemplary. It's a big loss."

Zondi will be buried at Westpark Cemetery on Sunday.

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