Amadou Bagayoko, the great Malian musician from Amadou & Mariam, passes away at age 70

Grammy-nominated Malian singer Amadou Bagayoko, who gained international recognition as one half of the blind duo Amadou & Mariam by fusing traditional West African sounds with Western rock and pop influences, passed away at the age of 70, according to the Malian government.

The culture ministry “learned with concern of the passing of artist Amadou Bagayoko this Friday,” according to a statement that was shown on state television. “Amadou was a blind man who made his mark on the Malian and international scene.”

Born in Bamako in 1954, Bagayoko began playing music at a young age. In the 1970s, he met Mariam Doumbia, his wife and musical companion, in the Institute for Young Blind People in Bamako, according to Radio France Internationale.

Their 2008 album “Welcome To Mali” was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album, and their 2004 album “Dimanche a Bamako” (Sunday in Bamako) made them famous throughout the world.

They performed at the Nobel Peace Prize event in 2009, when U.S. President Barack Obama received the award, opened for British band Coldplay, and played to large crowds at some of the world’s largest music festivals, such as Glastonbury in the UK.

Additionally, they wrote the official World Cup 2006 soccer song.

Condolences were posted online by artists from throughout the world.

“Hey, Madou! Wherever you go, we’ll always be together,” declared Manu Chao, a Spanish musician who was born in France and produced “Dimanche a Bamako.”

“I will never forget his friendship,” Youssou N’Dour, a singer-songwriter from Senegal, mentioned. “My thoughts are with my dear Mariam.”