Amadou Bagayoko, Member of Malian Duo Amadou & Mariam, Dies at 70
Renowned guitarist and singer Amadou Bagayoko of Mali's music duo Amadou & Mariam has died. He was 70.
Mali's Minister of Culture Mamou Daffé paid tribute to the blind musician in a televised broadcast on state TV. He said that Bagayoko died Friday (March 4) in the city of Bamako, his birthplace, but didn't give further details. The musician's family confirmed his passing, noting that he had been ill for some time, Rolling Stone reports. A cause of death was not provided.
More from Billboard
Gone But Not Forgotten: Musicians We Lost in 2025
Tracy Chapman on Revisiting Her Self-Titled Debut Album, 37 Years Later: 'I'm Just So Proud of It'
FKA Twigs Has to Drop Out of Coachella, Cancel North American Tour Dates Due to Visa Issues: 'I'm Devastated'
Bagayoko went blind when he was 15 because of a congenital cataract. He studied music at Mali's Institute for the Young Blind, where he met his future wife, Mariam Doumbia. They formed a band called Mali's Blind Couple in 1980, making their mark locally and internationally. The pair performed together in Mali during the '70s and '80s before making a breakthrough in Europe in the mid-'90s.
Their music, which blends traditional African influences with elements of rock, blues and pop, has won them a global following. They produced over 10 award-winning albums, including France's Grammy Awards equivalent, Victoire de la Musique, in 2005, for Dimanche à Bamako and again in 2013 for Folila. Dimanche à Bamako also won them one of the BBC Radio Awards for World Music in 2006.
Their 2008 album Welcome to Mali was nominated for best contemporary world music album at the Grammys.
Bagayoko's last world-class performance with Doumbia was at the closing ceremony of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
He is survived by his wife and a son, Sam, also a musician.
Best of Billboard
Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1
Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits
H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
42 minutes ago
- Forbes
Taylor Swift's ‘Reputation' Spikes Nearly 1,200% In Sales
Ever since Taylor Swift revealed plans to re-record and re-release her first six albums after the rights to those works were sold away from her, superfans have eagerly awaited Reputation (Taylor's Version). Now that the superstar has officially reacquired the rights to her own catalog, it seems there may no longer be a need for Swifties to boycott the original Reputation – and there will likely not be a Reputation (Taylor's Version). With Swift's blessing, the original version is experiencing a thrilling resurgence. The pop icon's electronically-leaning, controversial full-length rockets up the Billboard charts this week following her announcement. Consumption of the 2017 project increased across the board, but sales in particular were exceptionally strong. According to Billboard, Reputation sold 15,000 copies during the latest tracking period in America alone, and the global total must be notably larger. That sum marks a nearly 1,200% increase from the prior frame. Those 15,000 copies will be enough to catapult Reputation back onto the Top Album Sales chart when Billboard refreshes its rankings tomorrow (June 10). The company reports that the set will reappear at No. 4 after being completely absent just days earlier. Swift's effort will nearly match that position on the Billboard 200, where it is scheduled to jump from No. 78 to fifth place. Total consumption of Reputation surged by more than 221% as the full-length moved 42,000 equivalent album units between purchases and streaming activity. Sales have largely fueled Reputation's comeback, but the album also racked up nearly 35 million streams on platforms like Spotify and Apple Music during the same timeframe. That figure is up 125% from the previous week. While that kind of growth would represent a career-best for many other artists, it's actually the smallest percentage gain Reputation posts across the major tallies following her acquisition notice.
Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Miami Herald
‘Cherished' 3-ton animal featured in movies dies at Florida wildlife park at 65
A beloved and massive 65-year-old animal — the oldest of his kind in the Americas — living out his days at a Florida wildlife park has died. Lu the African hippopotamus was known for his 'calm presence and gentle personality' that drew in visitors at the Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park for decades, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection said. While he attracted a following at the central Florida wildlife park, he starred on the silver screen as well, featuring in movies and TV shows from the 1960s such as 'Daktari,' 'Cowboy in Africa,' the 'Art Linkletter Show' and the 'Herb Albert Special,' according to park officials. 'For more than 60 years, Lu was not just an animal in the park; he was a friend, a fixture and a treasured member of the community,' according to a statement on the Florida State Parks website. 'Children grew up visiting him, and many returned as adults with children of their own to say hello to the gentle giant.' The hippo was so beloved that when the Florida Park Service bought the property in 1989 and planned to rehome the exotic species living there, public support led to the governor making Lu a Florida citizen, helping him stay at his longtime home. He was born at the San Diego Zoo in January 1960, making him the oldest hippo in North and South America at the time of his death, according to Florida State Parks. Longtime park visitors recalled their years of experiences with the 'cherished' 3-ton hippo, who was also known for flinging poop at those who got too close. 'He was an icon that will be greatly missed at the park,' one visitor wrote on Facebook. 'I've been going to the park for over 50 years and he's always been a favorite (all) these years.' Another visitor wrote she was 'devastated' by the news. 'I have been seeing this wonderful guy since I was a little girl and I'm almost in my 30's,' she wrote on Facebook. 'He lived a long life. He is forever loved by me and so many others.' The state park is in Citrus County, about a 70-mile drive north from Tampa.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Bruce Springsteen Drops ‘Land of Hope & Dreams' EP Featuring Speech That Set Off President Trump
Bruce Springsteen is doubling down on his stance that the United States government is 'corrupt, incompetent and treasonous,' even after his remarks on the subject at a Manchester concert infuriated President Donald Trump last week. One week after criticizing the Trump administration during a speech at his European tour kickoff show in England — leading the twice-impeached POTUS to launch into a series of vitriolic posts targeting him on Truth Social — the Boss has released a Land of Hope & Dreams EP featuring a recording of the address as its opening track. 'In my home, the America I love, the America I've written about, and has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration,' he says in the audio snippet. 'Tonight, we ask all who believe in democracy and the best of our American experience to rise with us, raise your voices against the authoritarianism, and let freedom ring.' More from Billboard Trump Targets Bruce Springsteen Again, This Time With Fake Video of Him Hitting The Boss With a Golf Ball SZA Says She's 'Actually So Shocked' by the 'Bullying' Megan Thee Stallion Is Facing in Tory Lanez Shooting Case Karol G Lands First No. 1 on Hot Latin Pop Songs Chart With 'Milagros' The rocker then dives into 2001's 'Land of Hope & Dreams,' which is also the name Springsteen's ongoing tour. In addition to the politically charged speech, the six-track project also features live takes of the musician and his band performing 'Long Walk Home,' 'My City of Ruins' and 'Chimes of Freedom' in Manchester. There's also a three-and-a-half-minute recording of Springsteen once again critiquing the state of American politics later in the show. 'In my country, they're taking sadistic pleasure in the pain that they inflict on American workers, they're rolling back historic civil rights legislation that led to a more just and moral society,' he says in the clip. 'They're abandoning our great allies and siding with dictators against those struggling for their freedom.' The EP comes shortly after Trump responded to Springsteen's onstage remarks by calling him 'highly overrated' and 'dumb as a rock' on Truth Social, adding at the time, 'This dried out 'prune' of a rocker (his skin is all atrophied!) ought to KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT until he gets back into the Country, that's just 'standard fare.'' Later, the billionaire accused the 'Born in the U.S.A.' singer — along with Beyoncé, Oprah and Bono — of taking part in an 'illegal election scam' for Kamala Harris, alleging that he accepted an undisclosed payment from the 2024 Democratic nominee to endorse her for president. (Campaign finance records do not support this claim, and Harris' campaign has denied paying any artist for their support in last year's election.) Trump still hadn't let the matter go as of Wednesday, when he shared an edited video of himself golfing — and appearing to hit and knock over Springsteen with his ball — on Truth Social hours after the Land of Hope & Dreams EP dropped. But despite Trump's counters, Springsteen hasn't ever backed down on his firm stance against the president's policies. The E Street bandleader has long been vocal about his beliefs, telling The Atlantic in 2020 that he believed Trump — who in May 2024 was convicted of 34 felony counts in a hush money trial — to be a 'threat to our democracy.' Also in 2024, Springsteen proudly endorsed Harris and played at a number of her campaign events. He also appeared in an advertisement for the former VP's campaign, telling viewers, 'This election is about a group of folks who want to fundamentally undermine our American way of life … Donald Trump does not understand this country, its history, or what it means to be deeply American.' Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
