Its been 18 years since this icon died. Brenda Fassie’s son, Bongani Fassie posted this image on Instagram which said “Always Falling up, never falling down”.

One of South Africa’s most well-known vocalists, Brenda Fassie combined African voice with a polished international pop style.

Brenda Fassie founded a singing group when she was four years old. When she was 14, she relocated to Johannesburg from her village in an effort to find musical success. She rapidly joined other popular bands of the time, like Blondie and Papa and the Big Dudes, after becoming an instant smash.

Then she recorded her debut track, “Weekend Special,” which quickly became popular in both her native country and the UK. Fassie, who was lavish with her money and her drug use, found success to be a strain. She publicly admitted to being a drug addict in 1986.

Fassie was hospitalized in May 2004 after having a severe asthma attack that led to cardiac arrest. Fassie suffered a catastrophic bodily collapse, and her condition rapidly declined.