DHeart massage could not revive him: Haitian singer Mikaben died during a concert on Saturday evening. The 41-year-old musician, whose real name is Michael Benjamin, died after performing with the Haitian band Carimi. A heart attack is suspected. The cause of death is being investigated.
As videos on social media show, the singer collapsed on his way from the stage. The approximately 10,000 visitors in the Accor Arena in Paris were asked to leave the concert. “We need your prayers,” a member of the band said shortly after the breakdown. On Sunday, the concert organizer confirmed the death of the musician.
His pregnant wife Vanessa said she had “lost her other half” and was “speechless”. The Haitian Prime Minister sent his condolences. Ariel Henry tweeted that he was “devastated to learn of the sudden death of a young and very talented artist.” Haitian-born rapper Wyclef Jean called Mikaben “one of the most influential and inspiring young artists of our generation” in an interview with The Miami Herald.
Mikaben had been invited by Carimi, which formed in exile in New York in 2001, to perform his track “Ou Pati” on stage. Six years after disbanding, the Haitian group performed for a single Saturday night concert in Paris. The musician is less known in Germany; in France, on the other hand, as the former colonial power of the Caribbean state, there is a larger Haitian community.
Born in Port-au-Prince in 1981 to singer Lionel Benjamin, Mikaben was a singer, composer and producer. He had performed several successful songs with the group Carimi, including “Baby I Missed You” and “Fanm sa Move”.