Khadija Abdullahi Daleys, The Mother of Somali Music, Has Passed Away

The legendary singer was 81.

Khadija Abdullahi Daleys, The Mother of Somali Music, Has Passed Away

Khadija Abdullahi Daleys, a Somali musical trailblazer, passed away over the weekend in Toronto, Canada, reports BBC News. She was 81.

Daleys was a symbol of Somali women's rights. She began her decades-long career in 1952, when she became the first women to make it onto the Radio Mogadishu. She is credited with being the first female Somali recording artist in history. She was also a member of the popular Somali musical troupe, Waaberi.

She was honored by the Somali Museum of Minnesota last month for her indelible contributions to music last month.

Several members of the Somali community, by whom she was widely celebrated, have taken to social media to share tributes to the legendary singer.


​Photo illustration by Kaushik Kalidindi, Okayplayer.
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