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The
Detroit-based Rodriguez did not know how popular he had become
in South Africa, where his songs became anthems for the
anti-apartheid struggle in the 1970s. Back in the United States,
success had eluded him.
"Searching for Sugar Man" follows two South African music fans
on their journey to discover the fate of Rodriguez.
The 2012 documentary by Swedish filmmaker Malik Bendjelloul won
the Oscar in 2013. Bendjelloul said at the time that he was
drawn to the story because it was like a real-life fairy tale.
Rodriguez wrote and sang about the hard streets of Detroit in
1970 and was considered by many in the music profession to be a
talent on the order of Bob Dylan. His lyrics, set to a
heart-stirring rasp of a voice, told about the homeless and the
working poor.
Songs titled “Street Boy,” and “Inner City Blues,” and “Cause”
told the tale of society in decline and the cold comfort of the
drug dealer around the corner: “Sugar Man." His two albums of
the 1970s, “Cold Facts” and “Coming from Reality”, had no
commercial success in the United States.
"You have to be ready for rejection, criticism and
disappointment, so those kinds of things are pretty much built
into any career and so with music, it's such," Rodriguez said at
the premiere of the documentary.
"So, yeah, it was a disappointment to me then, but look at this,
it's quite something to be here."
His fame soared after the documentary and he performed at top
music festivals like Glastonbury in Britain and Montreaux Jazz
Festival in Switzerland.
The Sugarman.org site did not reveal the cause of death, but
earlier this year said he underwent an operation to repair
damage caused by a stroke in February. Rodriguez is survived by
three daughters.
(Reporting by Mary Milliken; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
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