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My hunt for Rodriguez, a missing music legend

Stephen ‘Sugar’ Segerman is a Rodriguez superfan. The musician was rumoured to have died on stage, but Sugar's detective work led to an astonishing discovery

Stephen ‘Sugar’ Segerman’s nickname came from the song Sugar Man by the American singer Rodriguez. In 1970s South Africa, Rodriguez was a household name as his anti-establishment lyrics resonated with many of those opposed to the strict apartheid state. Sugar, a Cape Town record shop owner, was one of his adoring fans. Very little was known about Rodriguez, apart from that he was dead; rumour had it that he’d killed himself during an unsuccessful concert. But years later, when Sugar decided to find out that had happened to him, he uncovered something astonishing.

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com

Presenter: Emily Webb
Producer: Emily Webb and Emily Naylor

(Photo: Rodriguez performing on stage. Credit: Elena Di Vincenzo/Archivio Elena di Vincenzo/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)

Available now

41 minutes

Broadcasts

  • Thu 1 Sep 2022 11:06GMT
  • Thu 1 Sep 2022 17:06GMT
  • Thu 1 Sep 2022 21:06GMT
  • Fri 2 Sep 2022 02:06GMT

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