It’s the tragic epilogue of a concert that promised to be magical. Saturday, at the Accor Arena in Paris, the Carimi group celebrated its reunion, six years after its dissolution, in front of nearly 15,000 spectators. A moment of celebration that turned into tragedy, when one of his guests and longtime friend, the singer Mikaben collapsed on stage around 11 p.m., a few minutes after his performance with the Haitian group.
Despite the rapid intervention of the emergency services, the applause of the public and the prayers of all those present, the 41-year-old singer could not be resuscitated and died shortly after midnight. “During the Carimi concert, one of the singers, Michael Benjamin, Mikaben by his artist name, died following an illness on stage and despite the intervention of the emergency services. The entire Accor Arena team is terribly affected and sends all its support to his family and loved ones in this painful ordeal. Our thoughts also go out to Claude Cyndecki, his producer, as well as to his fans, shocked by this sudden disappearance,” said on Twitter the Accor Arena. A wreath laying will take place in his honor this Monday evening in front of the performance hall.
From the Haitian Prime Minister, to international artists from Haiti, such as Wyclef Jean and Jason Derulo, tributes follow one another to salute the memory of this benchmark of Haitian music. On Saturday evening, this father of two, who was preparing to welcome his third child with his wife, galvanized the crowd by singing the songs Baby I Miss You and his famous Or patient (“You left” in French). His disappearance thus leaves Caribbean music in mourning.
What memories will you keep of Mikaben? What are your favorite tracks? Have you seen him in concert or met him? Did you attend the Carimi concert on Saturday? You can testify in the form below.