Johannesburg - The body of South African singer and anti-apartheid icon, Miriam Makeba, arrived back in her native Johannesburg Wednesday, three days after her death in Italy.

Makeba, 76, who was known affectionately as Mama Africa, suffered a heart attack shortly after a performance on Sunday evening in southern Italy in support of a campaign against organized crime.

Family members, fellow musicians and Arts and Culture Minister Pallo Jordan were at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg to receive her remains.

Johannesburg  - South African artists are calling for the country's beloved songstress and anti-apartheid icon, Miriam Makeba, to be given a state funeral following her death in Italy on Sunday.

Makeba, 76, who was known affectionately as Mama Africa, suffered a heart attack shortly after a performance on Sunday evening in southern Italy in support of author Roberto Saviano's campaign against the Camorra, the local version of the Mafia.

Johannesburg - Nelson Mandela on Monday paid tribute to singer and fellow anti-apartheid icon Miriam Makeba, calling her "South Africa's first lady of song."

"The sudden passing of our beloved Miriam has saddened us and our nation," the former South African president and Nobel laureate said.

"It was fitting that her last moments were spent on a stage, enriching the hearts and lives of others - and again in support of a good cause," he added.

Johannesburg  - Miriam Makeba, South Africa's "Mama Africa", who died at 76 in Italy on Sunday, was the much-loved voice of her country's anti-apartheid struggle during her long years in exile and an ambassador for African music in the West.

Born outside Johannesburg on March 4, 1932, in Soweto township, Makeba was the first female African musician to receive a Grammy award, which came in 1966 for her album with Calypso king Harry Belafonte, entitled An Evening with Belafonte/Makeba.

Johannesburg  - South African singer Miriam Makeba died Monday morning from a heart attack in an Italian clinic, her manager confirmed.

Makeba, 76, felt ill after a performance on Sunday evening and was brought by ambulance to a hospital in Castel Volturno in southern Italy, where she died, Italy's ANSA news agency said.

"It was a life well lived," her manager told South African private radio station Radio 702.

"It's really the passing of an era, her legacy will always live on. She hasn't been well for some time now, she had serious arthritis. She had plans for another album to come out. She opened the eyes and ears of the world to South African music," he said in an interview with a different radio station.

Rome/Johannesburg  - South African singer Miriam Makeba died Monday morning from a heart attack in an Italian clinic, an Italian media report said.

According to the ANSA news agency, 76-year-old Makeba felt ill after a performance on Sunday evening and was brought by ambulance to a hospital in Castel Volturno in southern Italy, where she died.

Makeba, a former anti-apartheid activist, was born on March 4, 1932, and enjoyed international fame with the hit song Pata Pata.