Ray Phiri's family in 'deep shock' over his death
Ray Phiri was surrounded by his family in his final moments.
Jazz musician Ray Phiri passed away on Wednesday morning surrounded by his family.
Speaking to TshisaLIVE, his close friend Paul Nkanyane says they are still in "deep shock" over his death.
Ray died in a Nelspruit hospital after losing his battle with cancer.
He was admitted to hospital two weeks ago when his condition worsened.
His cancer battle was only made public several days ago when a friend setup a crowdfunding page to raise funds for the singer.
But Ray's family shut down the page a few hours later. They reportedly did not want his condition made public.
Paul says the family has known about his diagnoses for two months.
"He had been battling for a while and his family were told that it wouldn't be that long. He died surrounded by friends and family and looked peaceful as he passed," he told TshisaLIVE.
Paul added that the family did not immediately tell Ray's 112-year-old mother about his passing.
"We never expected this to happen to Ray. We expected his mother. She is between 112 and 114-years-old. We don't know how we are going to tell her. She is very weak and it would devastate her."
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