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Mikaben, one of the most iconic singers in Haitian music, passed away suddenly, apparently due to a heart attack, while giving a live recital.
Michael Benjamin, real name of the 41-year-old singer, did the opening show as a guest of his compatriots from Carimi. The presentation took place at the Accor Arena in Paris on Saturday night.
The death of Mikaben, son of legendary Haitian musician Lionel Benjamin, has caused a stir on the Caribbean islandwhere some radio stations did not stop programming their music following the news was known.
Mikaben passed away “following suffering a seizure on stage and despite the efforts of the emergency services”, the venue announced on Twitter. Videos appeared on social networks where she is seen on stage and, suddenly, when she turns and starts to walk towards the back, she collapses.
“I am shocked by the sudden death of very talented young artist Benjamin ‘Mikaben,'” Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry wrote on Twitter. “We have lost an important figure in Haitian music,” he added.
Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean, of the hip-hop group The Fugees, called him “one of the most influential and inspiring young artists of our generation,” in an interview with the Miami Herald.
His wife Vanessa, who is pregnant, posted a message thanking people for their prayers but asking for privacy. “I am in no condition to speak. I lost my other half and I am speechless,” she wrote.
VIDEO: This is how Mikaben collapsed
