Ali Farka Toure, the legendary musician, died today at 67.

I got the news from Benn loxo du taccu, a fantastic African music blog by an American named Matt. Recently Matt's recommendation prompted me to buy what we know now is the last album Toure produced in his lifetime, In the Heart of the Moon. (Not the first time I've bought a CD because of this blog.)

Unlike, for instance, Salif Keita, who just last year recorded his first solo album in Bamako (first in a decades-long career), and has a sort of love-hate relationship with his countrymen and -women, Ali Farka Toure always seemed to maintain close ties with Mali. He continued to live in his home town of Niafounke, was elected mayor there, and played in the Segou music festival in 2005.

BBC obituary for Ali Farka Toure.