Rodriguez continues to defy odds. Amidst an up and (mostly) down career that has spanned over 5 decades, the now 70-year-old performer made his network television debut on the Late Show with David Letterman last night. Equipped with a full orchestra behind him, and in support of the new critically acclaimed documentary chronicling the quest of two South African die hard fans to find the truth about the ever elusive artist, Sixto Diaz (Jesus) Rodriguez is finally getting the attention he has always deserved.

Watch the performance below and marvel at the cold fact that life can sometimes be a bitch, but it’s never too late to gain that second wind.