Mandawuy Yunupingu died aged 56 after a long battle with renal disease.
The singer was named Australian of the Year in 1992 for his role in building bridges of understanding between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people.
Last December, Mandawuy Yunupingu was taken to hospital after collapsing at home. He had been fighting kidney disease and had been undergoing dialysis.
He died on Sunday night at his home, near Nhulunbuy.
Yunupingu was a Yolngu man and a well-known identity in Arnhem Land. He became the lead singer in Yothu Yindi, which was formed in 1986, a group which created a blend of rock and traditional Aboriginal music.
Yunupingu was the first Aboriginal person from Arnhem Land to gain a university degree, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in education from Deakin University in 1988.
In 1989 he became assistant principal of the Yirrkala Community School. In 1990 he took over as principal of that school, becoming the first Aboriginal principal in Australia. He held this position until late 1991, leaving to pursue his career with Yothu Yindi.
He always said he believed that life should be balanced and in harmony and that his mother taught him important Aboriginal ideas about how to live with people and with nature.
His name, Yunupingu, means rock - rock that stands against time. He leaves behind a wife and six daughters.
