Tributes pour in for Bra Hugh Masekela

"A baobab tree has fallen"

Those are the words Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa used to described the passing of award-winning musician, Hugh Masekela. 

Read: South Africa mourns the loss of music legend Hugh Masekela

The minister confirmed the 78-year-old's death in an emotional tweet on Tuesday.

The singer's family also released an official statement announcing his passing.

"After a protracted and courageous battle with prostate cancer, he passed peacefully in Johannesburg, South Africa, surrounded by his family," the statement read. 

Bra Hugh, as he was fondly called, has been receiving treatment for the cancer since 2008. Doctors informed him in 2016 that the cancer had spread.

He cancelled all his commitments in October last year, saying he would need all his energy to continue his fight. 

"In April 2017, while in Morocco I fell and sprained my shoulder. I began to feel an imbalance when I was walking and my left eye was troubling me. Another tumour was discovered and subsequently, in September 2017, I had emergency treatment, and the tumour was neutralised," Bra Hugh said in a statement at the time.

Celebrities have joined scores of South Africans in paying tribute to the legend on social media.