Haitian singer Mikaben collapsed onstage and died suddenly after suffering an apparent cardiac arrest in Paris on Saturday.
The beloved singer, real name Michael Benjamin, was performing with the Haitian band CaRiMi when he suddenly collapsed onstage. He was later pronounced dead.
Cell phone video shows Mikaben walking backstage after performing, when he began to stagger then collapsed.
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.
Tributes poured into social media from grieving Haitians all over the world.
“This is a shock,” Haitian singer, rapper and three-time Grammy winner Wyclef Jean told the Miami Herald.
“All I could remember was his smile,” said Jean. “This is one of the most influential and inspirational young artists of our generation.”
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.
Michael 'Mikaben' Benjamin, a 41-year-old Haitian Singer Collapses on Stage, Dies Suddenly of Suspected Cardiac Arrest During Concert in Paris.
Cardiac deaths been booming since the introduction of the Covid vaccine, but they will tell you it’s the climate. ????? pic.twitter.com/ZhiZudz26V
— PRINCE CARLTON ??? (@_PrinceCarlton_) October 16, 2022
