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Music executive and copyright lawyer Graeme Gilfillan found dead in his home
His family says he fought for justice and fairness in the industry and became a father to many South African artists.
Graeme Gilfillan has died. Picture: Instagram @berinsworld
Music executive and copyright lawyer Graeme Douglas Gilfillan was found dead in his Johannesburg home on Sunday, 21 May.
Graeme’s brother, Berin Gilfillan, told Daily Sun that they suspect a heart attack. His funeral service will be on Saturday.
“He was found lying next to his bed with his phone next to him. We suspect a heart attack, and we are waiting for an autopsy report to confirm our suspicions. Otherwise, we don’t suspect any foul play,” Berin told the publication.
“A mentor and confidant”
Music producer and DJ Tlou Cleopas Monyepao, popularly known as DJ Cleo, told Sunday World that he is struggling to come to terms with Graeme’s passing. Cleo said Graeme was his mentor and confidant.
“Graeme Douglas Gilfilan, affectionately known as Squire to most of us, did all my legal affairs, contracts, deals, etc, for the past 23 years. He ran his race, and his legacy will live on and reverberate through all those whose lives he touched and assisted in the music industry.
“Our last conversation was on Friday, discussing some song clearances for my new release. I’m saddened to have lost a mentor and confidant. It pained me seeing his lifeless body lay there in his bedroom, knowing that I can’t do anything about it.”
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Music rights battle
Graeme made headlines in 2018 when the late Zinzile Mariam Makeba’s family won her music rights after he took them to court, reportedly fighting for full ownership of the late singer’s music rights.
Mail & Guardian also reported that Graeme lodged a complaint in 2018 alleging that between 2009 and 2018, the Department of Arts and Culture entered into agreements with several private law firms, which were allegedly hired to ensure his and fellow trustee, Dumisani Motha’s removal from the Zinzile Mariam Makeba Trust.
The department’s director general at the time, Vusumusi Mkhize, said in an affidavit that: “The view of the department was that the grandchildren of the deceased sought to protect the legacy of the deceased and that would have an impact throughout the republic because the deceased was one of the national icons and liberation struggle heroines through her music.
“The department, as the custodian of heritage and preserver of arts and culture in the republic, believed that it has an obligation to preserve and protect the legacy of the late Ms. Miriam Makeba.”
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