Ali Farka Touré, the Grammy Award-winning musician known as "Africa's bluesman," has died after a long undisclosed illness.Touré, who is believed to have been 67, died Tuesday at his home in Bamako, Mali, the country's culture ministry announced.Radio stations across the poor west African nation publicly mourned the loss of one of the continent's most popular musicians by flooding the airwaves with his music. Touré, who was often compared to U.S. blues guitarist John Lee Hooker, was born in northern Mali, and taught himself how to play various guitars in his youth. However, he is best known for playing the gurke, a traditional Malian stringed instrument.While holding other "day" jobs his whole life, Touré worked continuously at his music and released his debut album Farka in 1976. Subsequent albums included a self-titled acoustic release in 1987, 1989's The River, which featured members of Irish group the Chieftans, 1992's The Source and the more traditional 1999 album Niafunké, named after the village on the border of the Sahara where he lived.Touré, who had been a farmer for decades, became mayor of Niafunké in 2004.A regular on the world music scene, Touré was a two-time Grammy Award-winner, first winning for his acclaimed 1995 album Talking Timbuktu – which was a collaboration with U.S. guitarist Ry Cooder.He won his second Grammy earlier this year for his traditional world music album In the Heart of the Moon, which he recorded with fellow Mali musician Toumani Diabaté
