South African legendary gospel singer Deborah Fraser has died at the age of 56 following a short illness.
It is said that she took her last breath at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital on Sunday, 15 May 2022, after suffering a stroke.
According to a statement released by her family, Fraser was surrounded by her loved ones at the time of her passing.
The statement read: “It is with deep sadness to inform you of the passing of our beloved mother, sister, aunt and friend, and Gospel musician, Deborah Fraser following a short illness. She passed on today (Sunday) after midday, in the presence of her family and friends.”
Her family then requested privacy to mourn her passing. “As Deborah Fraser’s family we would like to be given space to process and deal with this very tragic situation.”
According to Fraser’s Wikipedia page, she was born in KwaMashu, Durban on 09 June 1965. She started her music career in 1985 as a backing singer. Her fame grew immensely in 2000 when she released her first solo Album, Abanye Bayombona, which is said to have sold over 1 million copies. She went on to release over ten albums.
Fraser is known to have suffered from diabetes for a long time. Last year she became wheelchair-bound as a result of the disease.
There was hope that the singer was on her way to recovery after she was seen performing at an event in in April in a video that circulated on social media. However, her health deteriorated after she suffered a stroke a few days ago, culminating in her passing.
