Tumi Tladi dies: Cause of death, biography, reactions

Tumo Tladi was up next but, unfortunately, he did not live to realise the fruits of his labour.

By / / News
tumi tladi

South African bubbling rapper Tumi Tladi left the entertainment industry reeling in shock when news of his death surfaced on social media.

UPDATE: The family of Tumi Tladi confirmed his death in a statement released on Sunday evening. However, no information on the likely cause of his death has been revealed as yet. Read the full family statement below.

The family of South African hip hop artist Itumeleng George Tladi today confirmed with profound sadness and loss, his untimely passing.

Known by his stage name Tumi Tladi, he was deeply loved by his family, friends and the entertainment industry as a whole.

Son, brother and uncle, Tumi Tladi (30) sadly passed away in the early hours of this morning (10th July 2022) in Johannesburg.

He leaves behind his parents, five siblings, his niece and nephews.

The Tladi family humbly request privacy during period of grieving and ask that you please keep them in your prayers.

Details of the funeral will be confirmed at a later stage. 

With much love and thanks, the Tladi family

Tumi Tladi dies: What’s the cause of death?

Tladi, who was on the cusp of breaking into the mainstream Hip-Hop industry with his charting single Presidential, featuring a guest appearance from Nadia Nakai, was confirmed dead by fellow rapper and mentor AKA.

The Fela In Versace star, who may have had a hand in his girlfriend Nakai lending a verse on Presidential, took to Twitter to pay tribute to Tladi.

At this time, Tladi’s cause of death remains unknown, and while his family has yet to issue a formal statement confirming the news, the rapper’s untimely passing was further corroborated by Nakai in this Instagram story.

tumi tladi

We reached out to Tladi’s representatives for comment, and a response had not been returned at the time this article was published.

Tumi Tladi biography

Itumeleng George Tladi was aged 29 when he lost his life. He was the son of veteran events promoter Peter Tladi, and according to the information we sourced, the Johannesburg native made his debut in entertainment as an urban dancer in 2004, at the age of 11.

Mentored by Craig Bullock, founder of Danceweb, a reputable studio based in centre city Johannesburg, Tladi blazed the trail with his dance moves, going as far as travelling to Los Angeles, US, to feature on Willow and Jaden Smith’s 2012 single, FInd You Somewhere.

Tladi’s love for dance never wavered, but by 2015, he’d grown into other facets of his artistry, like songwriting and producing. By 2017, with buzz in the streets and relationships in the industry, Tladi released his debut album, Written In The Stars, a 13-track project that featured guest appearances from the likes of Phantom Steeze, B3nchMarQ, and Malcolm B, among others.

In 2022, Tladi was on course to break into the mainstream with the release of Presidential. In one of the last tweets he posted hours before his death, the rapper was very optimistic about the prospects of his career.

Social media reacts to Tladi’s death

Fans of the rapper have been sharing tributes following news of his untimely passing. Here are some of the reactions we picked out: