A South African opera singer chosen by Nelson Mandela to perform at the FIFA World Cup opening ceremony has died from meningitis.
Epic Records said Siphiwo Ntshebe, 34, was admitted to hospital in Port Elizabeth last week and died on Tuesday.
He was due to perform his new track Hope at the opening ceremony in Johannesburg on June 11.
Epic said Hope was "a soaring track", featuring "a special message of hope and compassion" written and spoken by Mr Mandela.
The track and an album of the same name, were due to be released to coincide with the World Cup, which begins on 11 June.
Ntshebe studied at the Royal College of Music in London between 2004 - 2007 and performed throughout Europe. However, the BBC reports he was relatively unknown in South Africa.
