Many said he appeared somewhat not himself on Sunday night and immediately after completing his set with Haitian band Carami, Haitian musician Michael “Mikaben” Benjamin died after collapsing on stage in Paris.
Benjamin, 41 left behind his pregnant wife Vanessa Fanfan who is due to have their baby in December.
While the cause of death has not been verified, preliminary reports indicated that he died of a heart attack.
Benjamin rose to fame in the early 2000s and produced hits like “Ou Pati” and popular collaborations with Carimi, Alan Cave, and DJ Michael Brun.
Following his passing, many musicians have taken to social media including Haitian Grammy winner Wyclef Jean who told the Miami Herald that “this is a shock,” recounting the last time he saw the singer in New York recently.
Benjamin was the son of Lionel Benjamin, affectionately known as the “Haitian Santa Claus”.
In his last tweet, Benjamin wished the band good luck at the Paris concert and expressed gratitude to them for giving musicians like himself a chance.
‘Bonne chance a mes grands frères pour ce soir ! Merci d’avoir ouvert la voie pour nous autres qui vous suivons! Nous vous aimons! Haiti vous aime beaucoup! Que l’amour et la lumière vous accompagnent durant le concert ou des milliers de fans seront en Harmonie parfaite avec vous’.
Look at what happened here.
Mikaben : l’étoile scintillante de nos nuits de Noël s’est éteinte. Haïti est en deuil.
💔Voir l’extrait de la vidéo⤵️💔 @mikaben #Haiti #accorarena #Paris #Mikaben #Carimi pic.twitter.com/sJI2FtPhci
— HCI (@HCI_ht) October 15, 2022
Let me tell you…. this is so sad. I saw a video of him before he walked onto the stage he looked exhausted. we really never know the time or the hour