The corona virus claims the first prominent fatalities: jazz musician Manu Dibango (1933-2020, "Sun Explosion") died at the age of 86 as a result of his Covid 19 disease. As French media reports unanimously, he apparently succumbed to the virus on Tuesday morning in a French hospital.
With the song "Soul Makossa" the saxophonist landed a worldwide hit in the 1970s. He worked with music greats like Herbie Hancock or Youssou N'Dour. In 2004, UNESCO honored the Cameroonian by birth as a peace artist "to honor his outstanding contribution to the development of art, peace and dialogue between cultures around the world."