Lance James (18 July 1938 - 2 March 2020) was a well-known

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

n country singer and radio broadcaster (

Springbok Radio Springbok Radio (spelled ''Springbokradio'' in Afrikaans, ) was a South African nationwide radio station that operated from 1950 to 1986. History SABC's decision in December 1945 to develop a commercial service was constrained by post-war financia ...

, 1954–1985). Some of his hits include Thank You, Vicki and Ahoy, Madagascar Ahoy !. During Huisgenoot's 2009 Skouspel he (along with nine other singers) was honored for their lifelong contribution to

Afrikaans Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gra ...

and

South African music South Africa is well known for its distinct musical styles which have played a huge role towards the country's society. The music of South Africa is very diverse with a wide variety of genres such as Marabi, Kwaito, house music, Isicathamiya, ...

Early life

Lance James Liebenberg was born 1938 in Germiston on the East Rand of Johannesburg.he married Valerie Mary Wilson and they had two children Chanel Liebenberg and Dionne Liebenberg.

Career

He worked at the

SABC The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is the public broadcaster in South Africa, and provides 19 radio stations ( AM/ FM) as well as six television broadcasts to the general public. It is one of the largest of South Africa's state ...

from 1954 until 1985. At the radio station, he was a presenter on two shows, ''Keep it Country'' on Sundays and ''Munt uit Musiek''. An autobiography, ''Dankie'' by Francois van Oudtshoorn was published in 2015. His final album came out in 2019, called ''Swan Song''.

Death

Suffering from heart problems and other aged health issues, he was admitted to a Johannesburg hospital in 2020. There he broke a hip and would later pass away from an infection after hip surgery, several weeks in hospital. He is survived by his two daughters Chanel and Dionne, three grandchildren Tyron, Declan and Lilly-Joy, son-in-law’s Glenn Floyd and Benjy Mudie, business partner Mara van der Burgh and partner Eunice Wait

Honours

In 2019, he was honoured for his life work by Federasie van Afrikaanse Kulturvereniginge. Other awards include a Beeld Award for contribution to Afrikaans music, a Solidarity Award, six Sarie Awards and several awards for "Best Album of the Year", and a Life Time Achievement Award. On 26 January 2020, Lance was also inaugurated as a living legend in the South African Legends Museum. He was one of only 20 legends from whom a bust was also made.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:James, Lance Afrikaner people 20th-century South African male singers South African gospel singers 1938 births 2020 deaths