Joseph Shabalala, founder of South Africa's multiple Grammy-winning choral group, the Ladysmith Black Mambazo, has died, the choir said on Tuesday. He was 78.

Shabalala passed away at a Pretoria hospital following complications from back surgery that left him wheelchair-bound, according to local media. "Our Founder, our Teacher and most importantly, our Father left us today for eternal peace," the choir said on social media. Shabalala had retired in 2014 and handed control to the all-male choral group to his four sons. Founded in the southestern city of Durban in the 1960s, the Ladysmith Black Mambazo gained iconic status in South Africa.