Fans are mourning the death of Detroit singer-songwriter Sixto Rodriguez, who died Tuesday at the age of 81.
But they can celebrate the life and music of the artist on Saturday at a free tribute event organized by friends and family. The “super celebration in honor of the LEGEND” is planned from noon to 11 p.m. at Detroit’s Majestic Theatre.
“It’s going to be a pretty free-flowing event with various friends and musicians showing up to play music and show their love for Rodriguez,” Matt Sullivan, founder of Light in the Attic Records, says by email. “I don’t have a list of performers at the moment but there will certainly be lots of local musicians who were close with Rodriguez over the years.”
Though he became an international sensation, for many Detroiters the artist known as the mononymous Rodriguez was simply “Sixto,” an affable fellow known for his mysterious, understated demeanor and love of performing.
He scored a record deal in the early 1970s, releasing the psychedelic-tinged folk-rock album Cold Fact in 1970, which included what would become his signature song, “Sugar Man,” followed by Coming from Reality in 1971. After both records failed to gain traction, Rodriguez instead focused on working blue-collar jobs in Detroit, living in the Woodbridge neighborhood and running unsuccessfully for local office several times.
Meanwhile, his music blew up outside of the Motor City in far-flung places like Australia and South Africa, where his politically charged songs resonated with anti-apartheid protesters. Rumors among international fans circulated that he had died by suicide, but many fans were later delighted to learn that Rodriguez was alive and well in Detroit.
Light in the Attic Records reissued his albums in 2009, which introduced his music to a new generation, and he found further fame after a documentary about his career was released in 2012, called Searching for Sugar Man.
He had faced declining health in later years, including a recent stroke. His music, however, lives on.
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