Anti-apartheid singer Johnny Clegg dies at 66

The world paid tribute Wednesday to the South African entertainer known as the "White Zulu" for his enduring activism against apartheid, and his campaigning for Nelson Mandela's release from prison.

"A beloved, inspirational and heroic voice has fallen silent and leaves all of us bereft of an exceptional compatriot and icon of social cohesion and non-racialism," said South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday about Johnny Clegg, who died on Tuesday following a four-year battle with pancreatic cancer. He was surrounded by family at his home in Johannesburg, according to DW.com.

Numerous politicians, musicians and friends have eulogized Clegg, who was dubbed the "White Zulu" for building bridges in a divided nation.

"He was just a gift from God," said Sipho Mchunu, a Zulu musician and co-founder of Clegg's first band, Juluka, formed when the latter was only 17 in 1969, and which until the 1990s helped traditional Zulu musical styles cross over to global audiences. "He was more than my brother... My heart is broken," Mchunu told a local radio station.