Brenda Fassie, 39; Flamboyant Singer From South Africa

South African pop singer Brenda Fassie, 39, died Sunday in a Johannesburg hospital of complications from an asthma attack she suffered two weeks ago. She had lapsed into a coma and experienced brain damage and cardiac arrest.

Considered the wild child of South African music, Fassie shot to fame in the early 1980s with the hit “Weekend Special.” Born in the Cape Town township of Langa, she attracted the media spotlight in her teens and held it until her death. Time magazine once called her the “Madonna of the Townships.”

Fassie’s best-selling single was the wedding song “Vulindlela.” The ruling African National Congress used the song in its 1999 election campaign. A series of top-selling albums followed and for several consecutive years, Fassie won a South African Music Award.

The petite singer with the piercing voice was known not only for her songs but also for her public temper tantrums, well-documented love affairs and long battle with drugs.

Well-wishers who visited Fassie in the hospital included President Thabo Mbeki.