CAPE TOWN — South African jazz pianist and composer Abdullah Ibrahim died at age 91. His family announced his death on Monday, stating he died peacefully in Germany after a short illness. Dr Marina Umari, a partner involved with Ibrahim, said, "Abdullah passed away peacefully with South Africa and its people in his heart." She added, "His love for his country never wavered, no matter where in the world he found himself."

Ibrahim, born in Cape Town, began composing music at age seven and made his professional debut at age 15. He became a known figure in local jazz circles in the 1950s. In 1960, he recorded the album "Jazz Epistle Verse One" with the group the Jazz Epistles, which was the first full-length jazz LP by Black South African musicians.

The South African government targeted the Jazz Epistles despite their music not being explicitly political. Ibrahim moved to Europe in the 1960s and later to New York in 1965. While in Europe, he met and recorded with musician Duke Ellington. Ibrahim performed at the Newport Jazz Festival and conducted a solo tour in the U.S., substituting for Ellington on multiple occasions.

In 2017, he stated, "I realised at an early age that this system of apartheid was totally against the brain of everything because it was not just that they didn’t want you to record the music, it’s that they didn’t want you to think."

During his career, Ibrahim recorded more than 70 albums, with his most recent release in 2023. In 1974, he recorded the musical piece "Mannenberg," which became recognized as an anti-apartheid anthem and reportedly inspired Nelson Mandela during his imprisonment. Ibrahim also contributed music to the soundtracks of the films "No Fear, No Die" and "Chocolat." He received the German Jazz Trophy and a South African music lifetime achievement award. In 2024, Ibrahim said, "I always say we never thought of Ellington as an African American – we thought of him as a wise old man in the village. You have any musical problem or inspiration, you go to Ellington. And he has been that bulwark for many, many, many musicians."