South African reggae star Lucky Dube was shot in an apparent carjacking attempt and died as he tried to drive away and crashed into a car and a tree, police and news reports said Friday.

The 43-year-old international star was shot Thursday night in front of his son, whom he was dropping off in Johannesburg's southern Rosettenville suburb, according to police Capt. Cheryl Engelbrecht.

"His son was already out of the car. When he saw what was happening. He ran to ask for help," she said. 

The Star newspaper reported that three fellow musicians were among the first at the scene.

The newspaper quoted an unidentified witness as saying Dube's son was out of the car, a Chrysler sedan, when the singer was approached by two men who opened his door and shot him twice.

The wounded musician drove away and hit another car, causing him to lose control and hit a tree, the newspaper reported.

South Africa has one of the highest crime rates in the world, recording an average of 50 murders each day. UN crime statistics say a third of Johannesburg residents have been robbed.

The pervasive crime has raised concerns about South Africa's hosting of the 2010 Soccer World Cup.

Dube recorded more than 20 albums in a career spanning more than two decades.

Dube's recording company, Gallo Records, paid tribute to its star, the newspaper reported, quoting CEO Ivor Haarburger as noting that Dube had a bigger following internationally than in South Africa.

The singer switched to reggae style in the 1980s to express his anger against South Africa's former racist white-minority regime.