Eurovision star and activist dies after battling mystery illness as tributes pour in
Rest In Peace #RestInPeace
Eurovision star Mattis Hætta’s family have confirmed the star has died following a battle with illness, with many of the singer and activist’s fans taking to social media to pay tribute to the late star
Eurovision star and activist dies after battling mystery illness as tributes pour in
Mattis Hætta has sadly died at the age of 63 after battling an illness.
The singer and activist was best known for his performance in the 1980 Eurovision Song Contest alongside his co-star Sverre Kjelsberg, with the pair finishing in 16th place when representing Norway.
In a statement to NRK, the singer’s family confirmed he had died after battling an illness, but did not go into further detail regarding exactly what the star had died from.
The star is survived by his four children and two grandchildren.
As the news of the star’s death broke earlier today, many took to social media to pay tribute to the late singer.
Both singers are sadly no longer with us (
Image:
BBC)
“Just saw the news that Mattis Hætta died and now I’m sad [sad face emoji],” one Twitter user began in their tribute. “I don’t even know much about him or his work but his joik (and the whole song to be fair) at Eurovision is iconic.”
“Rest in peace, Mattis Hætta. I will always remember you for this unforgettable performance,” another wrote online as they shared a link to a video of the late star performing at the 1980 Eurovision Song Contest.
Another mourning fan shared the same link to the footage and mused: “If there’s one comforting thought after the passing of Mattis Hætta yesterday, it’s that, if this were an entry now, people would actually know what it was about and the audience would lose their absolute s**t at 01:31. But respectfully.”
Tributes have been pouring in for the Eurovision icon (
Image:
BBC)
Hætta’s co-star Kjelsberg, who performed alongside him at the 1980 singing competition passed away in 2016.
A year before the duo performed at the Eurovision Song Contest, a political scandal swept Norway when the government announced plans to build an electricity plant near the village of Máze, which was predominantly inhabited by Sami people. This scandal was later dubbed the Alta controversy.
Hætta, then 20, was involved in the protests. The singer started joiking during the demonstrations of the local Sami people that took place near the Norwegian parliament in 1979.
Many still remember the pair’s performance from 1980 (
Image:
BBC)
He and Kjelsberg won the 1980 Melodi Grand Prix with the entry Sámiid Ædnan, which saw them go on to take to the stage in The Hague, Netherlands, for the 25th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest.
Following his performance at the Eurovision Song Contest, the star went on to work in pantomimes and yoiks in Alta, Kautokeino and Luleå.
He later trained to become teacher and released an album named after his native village Máze, which NRK praised for its thoughts reflections on society.