Miriam Makeba dies after collapsing on stage

Legendary singer collapses on stage, dies
Miriam Makeba dies after collapsing on stage
Story Highlights
Miriam Makeba was leading South African singer, world music pioneer

Makeba had Top 20 U.S. hit with "Pata Pata" in 1967

Singer was banned from home country for 30 years under apartheid


JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AP) -- Miriam Makeba, the South African singer who wooed the world with her sultry voice but was banned from her own country for more than 30 years under apartheid, died after collapsing on stage in Italy. She was 76.

In her dazzling career, Makeba performed with musical legends from around the world -- jazz maestros Nina Simone and Dizzy Gillespie, Harry Belafonte, Paul Simon -- and sang for world leaders such as John F. Kennedy and Nelson Mandela.

"Her haunting melodies gave voice to the pain of exile and dislocation which she felt for 31 long years. At the same time, her music inspired a powerful sense of hope in all of us," Mandela said in a statement.

He said it was "fitting" that her last moments were spent on stage.
Watch "Mama Africa" reflect on her career »
The Pineta Grande clinic in Castel Volturno, near the southern city of Naples, said Makeba died early Monday of a heart attack.
click link for more