Drug Rehab Could Have Saved Beloved South African Singer
Brenda Fassie, the legendary South African pop singer who sold millions of records across Africa and around the world, died in a Johannesburg hospital on May 9, 2004 after spending 13 days in a coma. The post-mortem said her final dose of cocaine was the cause of death. She was only 39 years old. MaBrrr, as she was affectionately nicknamed by her fans, had tried to resolve her severe addictions over the years at various treatment centers in fact, more than 30 times but, unfortunately for MaBrrr and her millions of admirers, she never found a truly successful drug rehab program.
Fassie, the youngest of nine kids, was named after Brenda Lee, the American singer. Her pianist mother let her earn money by singing for tourists in the streets. In 1981 at 16, Fassie left Cape Town to seek her fortune as a singer in Johannesburgs Soweto district. Soweto, short for South West Townships, had long been under the grinding heel of South Africas white supremacist apartheid policy. Poverty, drugs, alcohol, prostitution, illness and crime were rampant, and drug rehab facilities as we know them today were virtually unknown. But there was art, there was music, there were night clubs to sing in and a vibrant culture was being created by Sowetos people. Nelson Mandela lived there for years, as did Bishop Desmond Tutu and other famous black South Africans.
Five years before Fassie arrived, Soweto police opened fire on 10,000 protesting students marching peacefully from Naledi High School to Orlando Stadium. In the events that unfolded, 566 people died. The impact of the Soweto Uprising, as it became known, reverberated throughout the country and around the world. Soweto became the stage for violent state repression and the roaring social and political oven in which Fassie forged the direction of her music by the mid-90s, she was the unequivocal voice of black oppression. But she had also formed a drug addiction so strong that it managed to resist one treatment program after another. Without access to a real drug rehab, Fassie was unable to break the habit.
In 2001 Time magazine dubbed Fassie The Madonna of the Townships and indeed she was. Fassie managed to combine ground-breaking musical success with a personal accessibility and human fallibility that drew a fierce loyalty and protectiveness from fans. Her career was studded with record sales and awards, but punctuated also by periodic scandals, recurring battles with drug addiction, and lows in her musical career that saw her written off by the press.
On June 12, 2006, two years after her death, family and friends paid tribute to Fassie at the unveiling of a huge new tombstone at Cape Town's Langa cemetery. Wreaths from former president Nelson Mandela and President Thabo Mbeki who had both visited her in the hospital where she lay in a coma were placed on the family grave where Fassie was buried with her mother and father. The family is planning a museum in her honor, where her music and other memorabilia will be displayed. And perhaps most significant is the planned Brenda Fassie Foundation that would financially assist young drug addicts in need of a successful drug rehab program.
Rod MacTaggart is a Florida-based freelance writer who contributes articles on health.Guaranty Bank Routing Number
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Fassie, the youngest of nine kids, was named after Brenda Lee, the American singer. Her pianist mother let her earn money by singing for tourists in the streets. In 1981 at 16, Fassie left Cape Town to seek her fortune as a singer in Johannesburgs Soweto district. Soweto, short for South West Townships, had long been under the grinding heel of South Africas white supremacist apartheid policy. Poverty, drugs, alcohol, prostitution, illness and crime were rampant, and drug rehab facilities as we know them today were virtually unknown. But there was art, there was music, there were night clubs to sing in and a vibrant culture was being created by Sowetos people. Nelson Mandela lived there for years, as did Bishop Desmond Tutu and other famous black South Africans.
Five years before Fassie arrived, Soweto police opened fire on 10,000 protesting students marching peacefully from Naledi High School to Orlando Stadium. In the events that unfolded, 566 people died. The impact of the Soweto Uprising, as it became known, reverberated throughout the country and around the world. Soweto became the stage for violent state repression and the roaring social and political oven in which Fassie forged the direction of her music by the mid-90s, she was the unequivocal voice of black oppression. But she had also formed a drug addiction so strong that it managed to resist one treatment program after another. Without access to a real drug rehab, Fassie was unable to break the habit.
In 2001 Time magazine dubbed Fassie The Madonna of the Townships and indeed she was. Fassie managed to combine ground-breaking musical success with a personal accessibility and human fallibility that drew a fierce loyalty and protectiveness from fans. Her career was studded with record sales and awards, but punctuated also by periodic scandals, recurring battles with drug addiction, and lows in her musical career that saw her written off by the press.
On June 12, 2006, two years after her death, family and friends paid tribute to Fassie at the unveiling of a huge new tombstone at Cape Town's Langa cemetery. Wreaths from former president Nelson Mandela and President Thabo Mbeki who had both visited her in the hospital where she lay in a coma were placed on the family grave where Fassie was buried with her mother and father. The family is planning a museum in her honor, where her music and other memorabilia will be displayed. And perhaps most significant is the planned Brenda Fassie Foundation that would financially assist young drug addicts in need of a successful drug rehab program.
Rod MacTaggart is a Florida-based freelance writer who contributes articles on health.Guaranty Bank Routing Number
Hamilton Municipal Credit Union
Fishing Boat Plan
Niagara Falls Hockey Tournament
Bank Colorado Food
P E P
50 Hike In More Ohio
Nashville Shopping Center Mall
Entertainment Production Q
Cd Karaoke S
007 Starr
1 Day Detox Diet
Forex Convertor
Cell Distance Long Phone Plan Unlimited
Houston In Massage Texas
Colin Fry Medium Clairvoyant
Food Gift Gourmet Holiday
Becoming A Certified Public Accountant
Massage Michigan Parlor
Article Management Marketing Strategic
Gym Class Hero Discography
Body Cleansing Detox Diet Guide When
Firehouse Saloon Houston
Jersey Kid Soccer
Free Online Cards
Hp Lj1320
00am Baseball Calendar Date Game Jump League Major October Scoreboard
Corporate Gift Personalized Print
Haunted House In Houston
Waterproof Steel Toe Boot
Statement Of Conditions
Mesothelioma Legislation Canada
Chicago Musical New York Ticket
Thick Neck
Graf Hockey Bag
Course Game Golf Jr Nike
Las Show Trade Travel Vegas
05 Mustang Parts
Bad News Bear Baseball Hat
2006 Europe Kanye Mtv West
Tiffany Diamond Earring
Baseball Dart Board Rule
Mike Frazier
1 800
Depression Effexor
0800 Numbers
Air Airfare Cheap Cheap Disocunted Flight Flight Flight Flight Ticket
Encore Entertainment Home
Clover Creek Apartments
Rail Travel Us
Detox Colon
Kt157
Free Play Station 3 Giveaway
Baseball Cardinal Espn
Poem Jesus Birth
Dutch Oven Ceramic
Cart Kid Shopping Toy
Flesh Tunnel Earring
Abercrombie Man T Shirt
Crow Tribe Indian Food
Christmas Dessert Party
Rusk Hair Straightener
Classic Truck Show
04161 Beach Hamilton
Manchester Part Time Jobs
Dating Golf Speed
Briolette Earring
1 Answering Answering General Historical Jesus Jesus Jewish Jewish Objection Objection Objection Vol
Joliet Area Massages
Birthday Free Game Party
Indianapolis Indiana Obituary
1 Alternate American History Jesus Liar Religious Right Version Vol
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0wr 35mm Camera Manual Pentax
Kt183
2007 2008 Blank Calendar
Label Pins
007 Nightfire Cheats
Storage Box For Home Office
Fur Hood Jacket Winter
Wedding Party Song
Beach Night Picture
1 Cream Ice Skate Team Video Vol
Ancient Kitchen Modern Recipe
Kt88
Vietnamese Restaurant In San Diego
Jim Morrison Poetry
Pure Disco 2
Credit Equifax Free From Get Report
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0 Finance Credit Cards
Report Tax Fraud
Cup Live World
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Cartoon Pinup Girl
Vegetarian Restaurant Denver
Auto Blue Book
60 60 Cleveland Hike Mile Within
Beach Florida Hotel Ormond
007 Agent Underfire
Directory Email Free Hosting Internet Page Web Web
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06 Mustang Gt
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Airport Barcelona Car Car Hire Rental Spain
Dogs Help Rehabilitate Abusers And Inmates Dog
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Saint George University
