JOHANNESBURG – South African rapper and celebrity Riky Rick has passed away, sources close to his family confirmed on Wednesday. While no sources would go on the record nor ratify the nature of his death, at least four people have confirmed the passing.
Real name Rikhado Muziwendlovu Makhado, the creative was thirty-four years old and is survived by his wife, Bianca Naidoo, and two children. He was born in KwaMashu in KwaZulu-Natal on 20 July 1987.
Besides rapping, Makhado was a fashion designer, songwriter, singer, composer, actor and entrepreneur. Struggling with addiction from a young age, Makhado became a teetotaler. Speaking to 947 in December 2020, Makhado was open about mental illness and how men treat their emotional health.
Born in KwaMashu to a Venda father and Zulu mother, Makhado moved to Austria in 1998 with his family and often spoke about being conflicted about who he was culturally. He was upfront about not being fluent in TshiVenda and hasn’t kept in touch with his father’s side of the family.
Makhodo lived most of his life in Durban and spoke openly about his life and how he felt at each phase of his life in interviews and his songs. His anticipated 2015 album “Family Values” coincided with the birth of his son Maik Makhado and featured an emotional debut song Sondela, which he collaborated on with soulful singer Zano.
Sondela was different from the club hits he worked on in previous years and was a poem to his newborn son and wife and how they changed his perspective on life.
Memorial and funeral arrangements are underway for local rapper Riky Rick as friends, fans and family members remember him, not only for his musical talent but his humility and kindness.
The well-known artist died on Wednesday at the age of 34.
Although he was mainly known for his rapping, the multi-talented artist was also a fashion designer, songwriter, singer, composer, actor, and entrepreneur.
His wife, Bianca Naidoo, and their two children have asked for privacy while his family arranges his funeral.
“I love hip-hop. I was born from hip-hop. I fell in love with kwaito and I became a kwaito star,” Rick said in an interview.
His last message on social media was in the early hours of on Wednesday morning.
“I’ll return a stronger man. The land is still my home,” he tweeted.
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