Miriam Makeba Height, Weight, Age, Spouse, Children

Miriam Makeba Height, Weight, Age, Spouse, Children

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Miriam Makeba Quick Info
Height 5 ft 9 in
Weight 75 kg
Date of Birth March 4, 1932
Zodiac Sign Pisces
Date of Death November 9, 2008

Miriam Makeba was a South African singer, songwriter, actor, performer, and civil rights activist. One of the first African musicians to receive worldwide recognition, she was an advocate against apartheid and the white-minority government in South Africa and composed many songs that criticized apartheid. Her discography included albums such as Miriam Makeba, Comme une symphonie d’amour, Homeland, The Many Voices of Miriam Makeba, Welela, An Evening with Belafonte/Makeba, Sangoma, The Queen of African Music, and Eyes on Tomorrow.

Born Name

Zenzile Miriam Makeba

Nick Name

Mama Africa

Miriam Makeba as seen while smiling for the camera in 1969Miriam Makeba as seen while smiling for the camera in 1969 (Rob Mieremet (Anefo Photo Agency) / Nationaal Archief of the Netherlands / Public Domain)

Age

She was born on March 4, 1932.

Died

On November 9, 2008, Miriam Makeba died of a heart attack at the age of 76 in Castel Volturno, Italy.

Sun Sign

Pisces

Born Place

Prospect Township, Johannesburg, Union of South Africa

Nationality

South African

 

Education

Miriam Makeba attended Kilnerton Training Institute (an all-black Methodist primary school) in Pretoria.

Occupation

Singer, Songwriter, Actor, Performer, Civil Rights Activist

Family

  • Father – Caswell Makeba (Teacher, Clerk at the Shell Oil Company in Nelspruit (later Mbombela))
  • Mother – Christina Makeba (Domestic Worker)
  • Others – Zenzile Monique Lee (b. 1971) (Granddaughter), Nelson Lumumba Lee (b. 1968) (Grandson), Themba (Grandson) (died during his younger years)

Genre

Marabi, World, Afropop, Jazz, Township

Instruments

Vocals

Labels

Manteca, Strut Records, RCA Victor, Mercury Records, Kapp Records, Collectables, Suave, Warner Bros., Reprise Records, PolyGram, Drg, Stern’s Africa, Kaz, Sonodisc

Build

Average

Miriam Makeba as seen along with Dizzy Gillespie during a concert in Calvados, France in 1991Miriam Makeba as seen along with Dizzy Gillespie during a concert in Calvados, France in 1991 (Roland Godefroy / Wikimedia / CC BY 3.0)

Height

5 ft 9 in or 175 cm

Weight

75 kg or 165.5 lbs

Boyfriend / Spouse

Miriam Makeba had dated –

  • James Kubay – She got married to James Kubay in 1949 and she gave to her only child, a daughter named Sibongile “Bongi” Makeba, on December 20, 1950. Bongi died in childbirth in 1985. She reportedly left her husband after 2 years of marriage and he was accused of beating her up.
  • Harry Belafonte
  • Paul Simon
  • Hugh Masekela (1964-1966) – Miriam Makeba was married to trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, singer, and composer Hugh Masekela (known as “the father of South African jazz”) from 1964 to 1966.
  • Stokely Carmichael (1968-1973) – She married activist Stokely Carmichael (a leader of the Black Panther Party) in 1968. The duo separated in 1973 and eventually got divorced.

    • Race / Ethnicity

    Black

    Miriam Makeba was of Xhosa descent on her father’s side and had Swazi roots on her mother’s side.

    Hair Color

    Black

    Eye Color

    Dark Brown

    Sexual Orientation

    Straight

    Distinctive Features

    Powerful vocals

    Religion

    She was baptized a Protestant.

    Miriam Makeba pictured while being welcomed during a visit to Israel in 1963Miriam Makeba pictured while being welcomed during a visit to Israel in 1963 (ליאורה סלוצקי (אורי) / Leora Slutsky (Ori) / Public Domain)

    Miriam Makeba Facts

  • She was the first child of her father and the 6th of her mother.
  • She was 6 years old when her father passed away.
  • Before Miriam was conceived, her mother had been warned that any future pregnancy could be fatal Miriam’s delivery was a tough one as neither the mother nor the child seemed likely to survive after a difficult labor and delivery. Later on, Miriam’s grandmother often muttered “uzenzile” (a Xhosa word that means “you brought this on yourself”) to Miriam’s mother during her recovery and that inspired her to give her daughter the name “Zenzile”.
  • Miriam Makeba was 18 days old when her mother was sentenced to a 6-month prison term for selling umqombothi (a homemade beer brewed from malt and cornmeal). As the family was unable to afford the small fine required to avoid a jail term, Miriam spent the first 6 months of her life in jail with her mother.
  • She released her eponymous debut album in 1960 through RCA Victor.
  • She was initially influenced by her family’s musical taste.
  • French singer Jain released a song titled Makeba as a tribute to Mirium in 2016.
  • Miriam Makeba was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was married to James Kubay. She overcame cervical cancer via a hysterectomy a decade later.
  • In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked her 53rd in its list of the “The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time”.

    • Featured Image by Rob Mieremet (Anefo Photo Agency) / Nationaal Archief of the Netherlands / Public Domain

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