In Pictures | A singing, weeping farewell to Johnny Clegg

Thousands from all walks of life attended the public memorial service in Johannesburg to celebrate and mourn the loss of Johnny Clegg.

27 Jul 2019
26 July 2019: Banners adorned the outside of the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg for the memorial service of musician and anthropologist Johnny Clegg, who died on 16 July of pancreatic cancer at the age of 66. Clegg fan Ali Gule wore his sentiments on his cap, citing Clegg’s 1981 hit, Impi.
26 July 2019: Banners adorned the outside of the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg for the memorial service of musician and anthropologist Johnny Clegg, who died on 16 July of pancreatic cancer at the age of 66. Clegg fan Ali Gule wore his sentiments on his cap, citing Clegg’s 1981 hit, Impi.
26 July 2019: Theatre veteran John Kani got the service under way by delivering the eulogy. Paying tribute to Clegg, Kani referred to him as a cultural reservoir.
26 July 2019: Theatre veteran John Kani got the service under way by delivering the eulogy. Paying tribute to Clegg, Kani referred to him as a cultural reservoir.
26 July 2019: Sipho Mchunu was the other half of Juluka, the first professional band Clegg established in 1979. He was also Clegg’s lifelong friend and laughing partner. In celebrating his history with the musician, Mchunu shared memories and stories from their relationship in isiZulu.
26 July 2019: Sipho Mchunu was the other half of Juluka, the first professional band Clegg established in 1979. He was also Clegg’s lifelong friend and laughing partner. In celebrating his history with the musician, Mchunu shared memories and stories from their relationship in isiZulu.
26 July 2019: Jesse Clegg, Clegg's elder son and a singer-songwriter in his own right, collaborated with the Johnny Clegg band and the Soweto Gospel Choir at the start of the memorial, performing a song he co-wrote with his father called I've been Looking.
26 July 2019: Jesse Clegg, Clegg’s elder son and a singer-songwriter in his own right, collaborated with the Johnny Clegg band and the Soweto Gospel Choir at the start of the memorial, performing a song he co-wrote with his father called I’ve been Looking.
26 July 2019: The Johnny Clegg band performed The Scatterlings of Africa, Clegg’s popular celebration of the African diaspora penned in collaboration with his band, Juluka, in 1982. Clegg established the band in the mid-1990s, when he decided to pursue a solo career.
26 July 2019: The Johnny Clegg band performed The Scatterlings of Africa, Clegg’s popular celebration of the African roots of humanity penned in collaboration with his band, Juluka, in 1982. Clegg established the band in the mid-1990s, when he decided to pursue a solo career.
26 July 2019: Dancers from the George Goch hostel in Johannesburg, where Clegg participated in dance competitions for many years, turned up the heat with a short indlamu dance-off in honour of Le Zoulou Blanc, one of Clegg’s nicknames.
26 July 2019: Dancers from the George Goch hostel in Johannesburg, where Clegg participated in dance competitions for many years, turned up the heat with a short indlamu dance-off in honour of Le Zoulou Blanc, one of Clegg’s nicknames.
26 July 2019: The service ended with all the artists in attendance taking to the stage for an impromptu rendition of The Crossing, a song Clegg wrote in honour of Dudu Zulu, who collaborated with him in the band Savuka and was killed during taxi violence in 1992.
26 July 2019: The service ended with all the artists in attendance taking to the stage for an impromptu rendition of The Crossing, a song Clegg wrote in honour of Dudu Zulu, who collaborated with him in the band Savuka and was killed during taxi violence in 1992.
26 July 2019: Many in the audience were reduced to tears by the impromptu performance of The Crossing at the end of Clegg’s memorial service.
26 July 2019: Many in the audience were reduced to tears by the impromptu performance of The Crossing at the end of Clegg’s memorial service.
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