Yothu Yindi's tribal voice, Mandawuy Yunupingu, dies in Outback aged 56
Mandawuy Yunupingu's passionate pleas for unity catapulted his band onto the global stage
Tributes poured in yesterday for Mandawuy Yunupingu, the former lead singer of Australian indigenous band Yothu Yindi and one of the country's most famous Aborigines.
Yunupingu, 56, gained worldwide fame in the 1980s and 1990s with his hits Treaty and Tribal Voice. He died on Sunday night at his home in a tiny Outback Aboriginal settlement in the Northern Territory, Indigenous Health Minister Warren Snowdon said.
Officials have not released a cause of death, but Yunupingu struggled for years with kidney disease.
"We have lost a uniquely talented musician, a passionate advocate for Aboriginal people and a truly great friend," Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard said yesterday.
Yunupingu began his career as a teacher and was the first indigenous Australian appointed a school principal. He developed what he called the "both ways" educational philosophy, which combined Western and Aboriginal teaching techniques.
His penchant for blending cultures carried over to his music career, with the formation of his band Yothu Yindi in 1986. The group included Aboriginal and white musicians, and won fans with its unique combination of traditional indigenous sounds and modern pop and rock. Yothu Yindi, which released six albums, toured the United States and Canada as a support act to Midnight Oil and toured Australia with Neil Young.