Haitian singer Mikaben collapsed onstage and died suddenly after suffering an apparent cardiac arrest in Paris on Saturday.
The 41-year-old recording artist, whose real name is Michael Benjamin, was performing with the Haitian band CaRiMi when he suddenly collapsed onstage. He was later pronounced dead.
He was appearing at the 20,000-capacity Accor Arena in eastern Paris as a guest of the Haitian group CaRiMi.
He “died after suffering a seizure on stage and despite the efforts of emergency services,” the venue announced on Twitter.
Videos on social media show him performing, then suddenly turning and making his way toward the back of the stage. He collapses in full view of spectators, the music stops and medics are called.
As others attempted CPR on Mikaben, singer Mickael Guirand asked concertgoers to leave. “End of the concert. We must evacuate the room. It’s very complicated,” he said. “We need prayers,” for Mikaben, the CaRiMi singer said.
Watch the video below:
Michaël BENJAMIN est mort suite à un malaise après sa prestation, ce samedi, avec le groupe #CARIMI à l’Accor Arena. Le monde musical haïtien est en deuil. Plusieurs personnalités ont déjà salué le départ de ce grand de la musique haïtienne dont l’ex-PM #ClaudeJoseph.
pic.twitter.com/75gxGEtNAf— Clin D’oeil (@clindoeilinfo1) October 15, 2022
Another video is making rounds on social media, wherein the Haitian singer was already feeling under the weather before taking the stage.
More details of this tragic incident from the Haitian Times report:
Benjamin’s musical career spanned more than 20 years, after he rose to fame in Haiti and abroad in the early 2000s with major hits like “Ou Pati” and popular collaborations with fellow Haitian Music Industry (HMI) stars like Carimi, Alan Cave and DJ Michael Brun. His range of skills came in full display after Konpa Kreyol, a popular band, split into two groups — Kreyol La and Krezi Mizik — and the latter recruited Benjamin to be its lead singer.
Benjamin’s vocal range made Krezi a tour de force in the Haitian Music Industry. He sang melodies and could captivate a carnival audience, moving throngs of revelers from right to left as they waved their bandanas in near delirium.
Benjamin is the son of Lionel Benjamin, affectionately known as the “Haitian Santa Claus” for his popular Christmas song, Abdenwèl. The elder Benjamin told The Haitian Times last year that Michael relished music from a young age and enjoyed watching him rehearse.
Benjamin and Fanfan married in November 2020 and had a daughter one year later. According to his Instagram posts, the pair was expecting their second child in December 2022.
In his last tweet, in French, Benjamin wished his ‘older brothers’ Carimi good luck at the Paris concert and thanked the band for opening doors for musicians like him who came after the trio.
Rumors swept social media after Mikaben’s tragic death. Many wondered whether Mikaben died of Sudden Adult Death Syndrome (SADS).
Cases of young people dropping dead from sudden cardiac arrest or strokes have soared since 2020.
Tributes poured into social media from grieving Haitians all over the world.
Sources: TheGatewayPundit, Haitian Times