Afrika Bambaataa
American · 68 years old · Died 9 April 2026
Hip-hop pioneer, founder of the Zulu Nation
Cause of death
Prostate cancer
Afrika Bambaataa is widely regarded as one of the three founding fathers of hip-hop, alongside DJ Kool Herc and Grandmaster Flash. His 1982 track "Planet Rock", which fused hip-hop with electronic music, is considered one of the most influential songs in music history, essentially inventing electro. He founded the Universal Zulu Nation, transforming gang culture in the Bronx into a creative movement. He died at 68 from prostate cancer.
How common is cancer (all types)?
Afrika Bambaataa died of prostate cancer. Globally, cancer (all types) kills 10,000,000 people every year. That is 27,397 per day, or roughly one person every 3 seconds. It accounts for 16% of all deaths worldwide.
Deaths / year
10,000,000
Deaths / day
27,397
Deaths / hour
1,142
Deaths / second
0.32
Share of all global deaths
Risk factors for cancer (all types)
Since Afrika Bambaataa died
Live count since 9 April 2026
Total deaths worldwide since then
---
Deaths from same cause since then
---