He was in the process of planning his annual Cotton Fest when he died.
The show, which draws thousands of fans every year, was scheduled for 19 and 20 March 2022.
The festival promised an incredible lineup for music and fashion lovers.
But on 23 February, the family of rapper Rapper, Rikhado “Riky Rick,” Muziwendlovu Makhado (34) confirmed that he had died.
In a statement released on behalf of Riky’s wife Bianca Naidoo, she confirms that Cotton Fest is scheduled to go ahead as planned.
“We have to continue to keep his spirit and legacy alive. What better way to do this than to continue the work Riky has already started,” Bianca says.
“Cotton Fest needs to go ahead as planned by him! His love and belief in showcasing young and upcoming talent is unquestionable, which is how Cotton Fest came about a few years back.“ Bianca says this is what Riky would have wanted to happen and she wants to carry on his legacy.
“And in his own words - we never die, we multiply! Let’s build on this energy and continue to spread the love and light at a time when we need it the most.”
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The statement also reads, “With the ongoing flood of love and support from the public, as well as the South African entertainment industry at large, the Cotton Fest team today confirmed that the two-day sold-out festival planned for later this month, will still go ahead but is postponed to April. Following the endless endearing tributes and messages from across the globe over the past two weeks, the decision, together with Riky Rick’s family, was made to move forward with the highly anticipated lifestyle festival.
"Known for showcasing the diversities in various music genres with the aim of fusing the gaps within the different local movements, Riky Rick created the festival to merge both well-known and young emerging SA artists. Cotton Fest will now take place on the 23rd and 24 April in Newtown, Johannesburg. The team apologises for any inconvenience caused to current ticket holders who might not be able to attend on these new days. The weekend line-up will be announced later this month.”
At his memorial service, masses gathered at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg to bid Riky Rick farewell.
Friends said their last goodbyes in song and in a tribute speech, Sizwe Dhlomo revealed that Riky Rick had planned to publicly reconcile with Cassper Nyovest at the annual Cotton Fest and make him the surprise guest.
“Let’s learn from Riky, even about forgiveness and reconciliation. This upcoming Cotton Fest, he was going to publicly make up with Cassper, live on stage. He’d reached out to him, last year September. They had spoken even all the way into January, and they were actually on good terms at the time of his passing,” Sizwe said.
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Riky Rick debuted Cotton Fest in 2019 which took place at The Station on Mandela Bridge, Newtown, Johannesburg. This festival is for the young, creative, and fashionable generation, who labelled themselves as “Cotton Eaters” because of their love for fashion.
