The saddest of news in overnight. Australian music great Dr G Yunupingu, whose full name we have withheld for cultural reasons, has died at the age of 46. He died in Royal Darwin Hospital late yesterday afternoon after a long battle with illness.

In 2011, Rolling Stone labelled Dr G Yunupingu as “Australia’s most important voice”. The Sydney Morning Herald’s long-time music critic Bruce Elder described his voice as “the greatest… this continent has ever recorded.”

“Dr G Yunupingu is remembered today as one of the most important figures in Australian music history, blind from birth and emerging from the remote Galiwin’ku community on Elcho Island off the coast of Arnhem Land to sell over half a million copies of his albums across the world, singing in his native Yolngu language,” his label Skinnyfish Music has said in a statement.

“His debut album cemented him as the Australian voice of a generation, hitting triple platinum in Australia, silver in the UK and charting in multiple other countries across the globe.

“The highest selling indigenous artist in history, Dr G Yunupingu released two subsequent top five studio albums, Rrakala and The Gospel Album, achieved a swag of ARIA Awards, performed across the globe for audiences including Queen Elizabeth II and Barak Obama and released the first indigenous language single to reach the top five, all the while continuing to call Elcho Island home.

“Dr G Yunupingu also gave back to his community as the driving force behind the G Yunupingu Foundation, creating opportunities for young people across the Northern Territory.

“His legacy as a musician and community leader will continue as his life’s work continues its positive impact on Elcho Island, the Northern Territory, Australia and the world.

“Skinnyfish Music and Dr G Yunupingu’s family ask for your respect at this time."