Michael Benjamin, better known as Mikaben, died after a concert at the Accor Arena in Paris on the night of Saturday, October 15 to 16, 2022.
He was 41 years old at the time. During his performance, he went into cardiac arrest. Despite rescue efforts, Benjamin died soon after. An official cause of death has not been revealed.
Mikaben is seen walking offstage after the concert when he collapses to the ground in video footage of the concert. While he was being attended to, the venue was cleared, and reports indicate that he was given CPR.
“This is a shock,” Wyclef Jean told the Miami Herald. “I’m in disbelief,” singer Roberto Martino told the outlet.
“This is somebody I was working with for years and considered a brother, a good friend. We talked almost every day. We have a chat together.”
Martino spoke to Mikaben right before he took the stage on Saturday night, he told the Miami Herald.
“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,” Martino told the outlet.