'May your beat live on forever' - SA mourns the death of Ray Phiri

An outpouring of tributes from around the country has flooded social media in the wake of veteran musician Ray Phiri's death on Wednesday morning. The jazz star died during the early hours of this morning after a two-month battle with lung cancer.

Speaking to TshisaLIVE family spokesperson Paul Nkanyane said he was surrounded by family during his last moments. [Read more here] 

"He had been battling for a while and his family were told that it wouldn't be that long. He died surrounded by friends and family and looked peaceful as he passed.We are devastated and, naturally, asked why this has happened. But we are coming to terms with the loss because we understand that this is life and we have to be strong," Paul said.

The iconic guitarist and vocalist was the founding member of the Cannibals in the 1970s.

When the Cannibals disbanded, Ray founded Stimela, with whom he created gold and platinum-selling albums like Fire, Passion and Ecstacy (1991), Look, Listen and Decide (1992) as well as People Don't Talk So Let's Talk.

As news of the musician's death spreads fans and well-known personalities have paid tribute to him.