Haitian singer Michael Benjamin, known by the stage name Mikaben, died Saturday evening during a concert at the Accor Arena in Paris, victim of a malaise at the age of 41, the hall announced on Sunday. shows.
Mikaben, who performed with the Haitian music group kompa Carimi, “died following an illness on stage and despite the intervention of the emergency services”, the Accor Arena team said on Twitter, saying to itself “terribly affected” by this news.
The concert was interrupted and the room was then evacuated, according to several testimonies.
According to videos posted on social networks, the singer suddenly collapsed when he left the stage in full swing.
He had been invited by the group Carimi, formed in the 2000s, on the occasion of a unique concert in France.
“It’s a great reference in Haitian music that has just died out. The country and Haitian youth have lost a beautiful soul,” Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry tweeted on Sunday.
Born in Port-au-Prince in 1981 and the son of 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” or “Fanm sa Move”.