Maputo — The Mozambican musician Dilon Djindji, considered by many as the greatest practitioner of the popular musical style, known as Marrabenta, has passed away at the age of 97.

Djindji, who was named "King of Marrabenta', lost his life in the early hours of Wednesday morning at Maputo Central Hospital, after fighting a long battle against tuberculosis.

He was last seen in public on 14 August during a tribute organized by the Marracuene municipality on the occasion of his 97th birthday.

Djindji recorded his first album in 1973, entitled Xiguindlana. Over time, he became popular with songs that reflected Mozambican daily life, such as "Podina', "Maria Teresa', "Angelina', "Maria Rosa', 'Sofala' and "Marracuene.' He sang exclusively in the Ronga language, his mother tongue.

His success led him to perform on the international stage in Portugal, England, Norway, Germany and the United Arab Emirates.

During his career, he was awarded a "Medal of Merit for Arts and Letters' by the Mozambican government.

Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi, on his Facebook page, lamented the death of Djindji claiming that the country has lost one of its beloved sons "but his legacy will continue to be honored.'

"In this moment of consternation, I want, on behalf of the government, all Mozambicans and myself, to express our solidarity with the bereaved family,' added Nyusi.

Other prominent musicians such as Stewart Sukuma and Roberto Isaías called for the preservation of Djindji's music as a way of safeguarding his legacy.

"He was an example of the resilience needed to give credibility to music in general and Marrabenta in particular. We owe Dilon, Marrabenta owes Dilon, Mozambican music owes Dilon, and we all owe Dilon. He is one of Mozambique's greatest musicians and he lived to tell his story', Sukuma said.

Isaías said that "Djindji's death causes pain to music makers because they still had a lot to learn from the artist. He is physically gone, but his legacy will remain with us forever.'