“Prince of the Kora” or “King of the Kora” were some of the titles given to Toumani Diabaté over the years. An excellent player of the kora, a 21-stringed instrument made from a large gourd and typical of West Africa, he died in a private clinic in Mali’s capital, Bamako, after a short illness.

“My best friend, my support, my guide, my best companion, my dear father is gone forever.” His son wrote on FacebookMy friend Diabaté, who is also a kora player and has shared the stage with him, including in Portugal.

Toumani Diabaté said he was the representative of the 71st generation of traditional musicians. Born in 1965, he started learning to play this type of guitar at the age of five. He introduced himself to the world by recording the album Kirain 1988. He quickly became one of the biggest names in Malian music, alongside Salif Keita or Ali Farka Touré. (With the latter, he recorded two albums, one of which won a Grammy for Best International Album, and gave a memorable performance at the Cale do Amaral Hall, Lisbon, in 2005, as part of the Africa Festival.)

Salif Keita expressed his regret for the “loss of a national treasure.” Malian Grammy Award-winning singer Oumou Sangaré said Diabate was “a bridge between ancestral tradition and modernity.”

Senegalese Youssou N'Dour described Toumani Diabaté as “a gifted kora player and an unparalleled music arranger”.

“Tonight, the Kora lost its master,” said Malian journalist Seydou Cessouma.