George musician Lukas du Preez dead at 59

CAPE TOWN - A beloved George musician known for musical tributes across the Southern Cape has died.

Police confirmed that Lukas du Preez died when his car collided with a stationary trailer loaded with bricks on Monday.

He was 59 years old.

Du Preez first made local headlines for his regular accordion serenades for his wife outside a hospital in Mossel Bay where she was battling Covid-19 in 2021.

He was a retired advocate and a beloved accordion player in the seaside town.

In 2021, he spent weeks playing outside the Covid ward of a Mossel By hospital where his wife was receiving treatment.

Even after losing his wife in the pandemic, he continued to play for Covid patients at local hospitals.

Last year, du Preez also paid a musical tribute to the victims of the deadly George building collapse.

He died when the SUV he was travelling in crashed into an articulated truck parked on the roadside.

Contractors had been offloading brinks from the truck nearby.

George police are investigating a case of culpable homicide.