'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Lil Meri, also known as Samuel Maritus Malatji, is no more. The musician recently passed away on December 11 at the age of 22.
Meri hailed from Bolobedu’s Ralela Village and the news was confirmed by his manager Given Khobane. Khobane stated that Meri was announced dead when he arrived at the hospital.
Khobane also mentioned that his family is devastated by what happened since Meri died suddenly while Khobane informed them that he was not feeling well. Khobane requested his family to take Meri to the hospital.
Lil Meri’s cause of death and musical journey explored
Cause of death
Lil Meri’s management revealed that he died as a result of a short illness. Apart from that, no other details have been revealed yet.
An official statement is currently awaited from his family and it is unknown if the popular artist had any health issues from the past. Fans were shocked to learn of his death as soon as the information went viral over the internet.
Journey in the music industry
Lil Meri was born in the early 2000s in Rarela Village. Although he performed on stage, Meri did not get the attention that was needed to survive in the entertainment industry in his early years.
Meri became a familiar name in 2019 after his song, Ngwana Motho, was streamed thousands of times on digital platforms. He also released other songs like Ngwana wa Motho and it was nominated for several awards like the Limpopo Music Awards and Sepedi Music Awards.
Meri was reportedly arrested by the SANDF in 2019 for possession of a South African National Defense Force uniform. Reports say he was found at a petrol station in Tzaneen by cops and SANDF members and was taken to Bolobedu South where authorities found the uniform.
Reports say SANDF members were alerted to the uniform through Facebook posts and Lil Meri was later released on bail. Following this incident, Meri released a song, Ba Retswarisa.
Meri then released two more songs in 2020, Thipa and Melemo. Both songs helped him to achieve some fame in his musical journey and earned him a few big gigs.
