Mikaben has died after collapsing on stage.
Singer Mikaben has died aged 41
The ‘Fe Lapli’ hitmaker - whose real name was Michael Benjamin - left fans shocked after he fell to the ground as he exited the stage at the Accor Arena in Paris, where he had appeared as the guest of the music group Carmini, and it was later revealed he had passed away at the age of 41.
The 20,000 strong venue announced on Twitter on Sunday (16.10.22) that Mikaben - the son of singer Lionel Benjamin - “died after suffering a seizure on stage and despite the efforts of emergency services”.
In video footage from the gig, singer Mickael Guirand announced to the crowd the situation was “very complicated” as he pulled the plug on the show.
He said: “End of the concert. We must evacuate the room.
“It’s very complicated. We need prayers.”
Ariel Henry, the Prime Minister of his homeland Haiti led tributes to the singer.
He tweeted: “I’m shocked by the sudden death of the young and very talented artist Michael Benjamin ‘Mikaben’. We have lost a major figure in Haitian music.”
Jean Henry Ceant, the former premier of the island called Mikaben “one of the most talented artists of his generation”.
Wyclef Jean - who also hails from the Caribbean country - labelled him “one of the most influential and inspirational young artists of our generation” while speaking to the Miami Herald newspaper.
He added on Twitter that Mikaben was “gone too soon”.
Roberto Martino told the same newspaper about his “disbelief” about Mikaben’s passing as he had just spoken to him before he hit the stage.
He said: “I’m in disbelief.”
“This is somebody I was working with for years and considered a brother, a good friend. We talked almost everyday. We have a chat together.”
“He was so happy. He couldn’t wait to get on that stage with CaRiMi. It was one of his biggest accomplishments in life. It’s a band that he idolized."
In a special broadcast on Magik9 radio singer Tamara Suffren called his death “a blow to the country” which has been impacted by a wave of issues in recent years.
The ‘Ayti Se’ hitmaker - left behind his pregnant wife Vanessa.
She wrote: “I’m in no condition to talk. I lost my other half and have no words.”
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