Cape Town - Considered not only a music legend in South Africa, but of skateboarding too, Errol “Bong” Strachan’s death continues to be felt and mourned dearly.
In a social media post, the reggae, dance-hall and dub band The Rudimentals shared the heartbreaking news of the passing of the bass guitarist.
Strachan joined The Rudimentals in 2005 and remained with the band until his death at the age of 61. He also started the Sons of Selassie reggae band about 38 years ago, and played in bands Roots Rockers, Blunt and Braindead.
He died at Groote Schuur Hospital last Thursday.
“The day before he was to be released back to me,” his partner, Wendy Acton Burnell, said.
Strachan had received biopsy results last month showing that he had cancer.
“Mesothelioma was the diagnosis, only later though, they didn’t know what it was until after all the scans and then there was nothing they could do. His decline was very rapid towards the end,” she said.
Mesothelioma is a cancer of the mesothelial tissue, closely linked to exposure to asbestos.
Strachan was also a South African skating champion in the 1980s, winning at the first SA National Skateboarding contest and then annually until 1993, when he stopped taking part in contests. He then opened his own skate shop.
He started skating in 1975 at 13 while a learner at Grassy Park High, forming the Comet Skate Club, and stopped at the age of 38/39.
“He dabbled in many things. He drove across the country collecting census data for citizen surveys, he coached youth hockey teams, he managed The Mafia Boss computer game,” she said.
The memorial is still being arranged but there are plans to have it at the Good Shepherd Church in Grassy Park on Saturday. Strachan was raised in Grassy Park and lived in Woodstock for many years.
He leaves three children, Trevor, Keena and Liam.
“He was loved by so many people. We couldn’t go anywhere without bumping into someone who knew him. His dreadlocks were longer than him. He was not afraid of death, he told me as he’d lived a very full life and had so many experiences. He left a giant hole for us all.”
In a Facebook post, Rudimentals member Simon Bates shared fond memories of being allowed to use Bong’s massive nest of dreadlocks as a pillow on many band tours, airport floors and other random floors, as well cooking huge curries at 4am after late-night gigs and parties “with so many laughs and heart-to-heart chats”.