SAMRO saddened by the sudden passing of its newest Board member, Gloria Bosman
The Southern African Music Rights Organisation (SAMRO) has expressed its saddened by the passing of its Board Member, Ms Gloria Bosman, who passed away on today (14 March 2023).
Bosman, who is South Africa’s legendary jazz muso, was appointed to the Board of SAMRO at its last Annual General Meeting (AGM) in December 2022, with SAMRO saying her arrival to the organisation’s apex governance structure was welcomed by SAMRO members and the industry in general.
Born and bred in Soweto, Bosman died at the age of 50 years old and had bagged numerous accolades, including two South African Music Awards.
It is reported that Bosman suffered a short illness before passing.
In a media statement, SAMRO said: “As a composer and a performing artist, in the short period that Ms Bosman was a member of the Board, she added a perspective that comprised of a rich blend of insights on member aspirations as well as the direction that our organisation should continue to march towards,” says SAMRO Board Chairperson Nicholas Maweni.
“Ms Bosman was an energetic and passionate Board member who fully supported the organisation’s strategic direction, including diversifying income streams for SAMRO and vigorously protecting members’ interests by ensuring compliance with relevant legislation. While highly empathetic, she was firm and direct when she engaged with her colleagues.
“The entire Board is shocked and saddened at Ms Bosman’s untimely death, and it will take time for all of us to come to terms with it. The wisdom, insights and knowledge she gained throughout her very long and illustrious career is what got her to be appointed to the Board of SAMRO. We will dearly miss her presence of mind in our engagements, her humanity, compassion and empathy for her fellow composers added Maweni.
South Africans took to social media to express their shock.