‘Sugar Man’ Rodriguez dies aged 81

American singer-songwriter Rodriguez, best known as the subject of the Oscar-winning documentary Searching for Sugar Man, has died aged 81. The news was revealed on his official website and social media pages last night.

Sixto Rodriguez was born in Detroit to Mexican immigrant parents in 1942. In the early seventies he released two studio albums, Cold Fact and Coming to Reality, which featured the songs Sugar Man, Crucify Your Mind and I Wonder. Neither of those albums sold well, leading Rodriguez to largely walk away from his music career.

In the following years Rodriguez worked a production line job but the politics that ran through his music continued to play a role in his life. He ran for public office multiple times, and in 1981, he even ran for Mayor of Detroit.

Despite being relatively unknown in his home country, Rodriguez’ music found a major following overseas—especially South Africa. His albums sold in huge numbers and his songs became anti-apartheid anthems. Rodriguez came out of retirement and went on his first tour of the country in 1998.

Cold Fact and Coming to Reality were reissued in 2009 while his unlikely story was told in Malik Bendjelloul’s 2012 documentary Searching for Sugar Man, which won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.

Rodriguez first toured Australia and New Zealand in the late 1970s and returned to Australia for tours in 2014 and 2016. A 2019 tour was also announced but did not go forward due to medical reasons. He also released the iconic live album, Rodriguez Rocks – Live In Australia, which followed Rodriguez’ tour around Australia in 2014.

RIP Rodriguez (1942-2023)