Clockwise from top left: KK, Talal Maddah, Warne Marsh and Bruce Hampton | A wave of tributes have poured in for Indian singer Krishnakumar Kunnath, popularly known as KK, who died at age 53 after a concert in Kolkata on Tuesday. He was rushed to hospital from his hotel at around 10.30pm, where doctors pronounced him dead. KK's death comes following the demise of Edava Basheer, the Malayalam singer who collapsed on-stage during a performance on May 28. Here’s a look at some well-known artists who died while performing on stage.
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EDAVA BASHEER: Well-known playback singer from Kerala, Edava Basheer, 78, collapsed on stage at a music event held in Alappuzha on May 28, 2022, to mark the 50th anniversary of a popular music troupe. He was rushed to a private hospital at Cherthala but his life could not be saved. The veteran singer shot into prominence during his school days and was a regular at all temple festivals across Kerala. He had also travelled across the globe, performing in the US, UK and Europe.
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TALAL MADDAH: Saudi musician, composer and well-known singer Talal Maddah was called ‘The Earth’s Voice‘ for his talent. He was known for playing the oud, worked on more than 80 albums and composed songs of top singers, according to Arab News. In August 2000, at the age of 60, he died of cardiac arrest during a live television performance on national TV.
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BRUCE HAMPTON: US singer, guitarist, songwriter and bandleader Bruce Hampton, 70, was widely regarded as the granddaddy of the jam-band scene. He was a mentor to many musicians, with a keen eye and ear for talent. Hampton collapsed onstage on May 1, 2017, at the Fox Theatre towards the end of a concert in honour of his 70th birthday, New York Times reported. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died.
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NELSON EDDY: American singer Nelson Eddy was propelled to fame after a concert appearance at the Philharmonic Auditorium in Los Angeles in 1933. He was then offered a movie contract by Metro-Goldwyn –Mayer, following which he ended up making 19 films and numerous musicals, according to the Los Angeles Times. While performing at the Sans Souci Hotel in March 1967, the singer suffered a stroke after saying that his face started to get numb. Soon after he started to fall and was rushed to a hospital. Doctors said the stroke was caused by a blood clot in the brain.
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WARNE MARSH: A tenor jazz saxophonist, Warne Marsh, 60, was known for his improvisations. Marsh had just returned to the Los Angeles area after a long stay in New York and was planning to open a club. At a performance on December 18, 1987, in North Hollywood, Marsh was improvising a chorus of ‘Out of Nowhere’ when he collapsed and died.
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GIUSEPPE 'PINO' MANGO: Italian singer-songwriter Giuseppe 'Pino' Mango, popularly known as Mango, 60, was performing at Policoro in his native southern Italy when he fell ill in December 2014. He had just hit the opening bars of his hit song Oro when he raised an arm and said ‘excuse me’ to the crowd before collapsing, The Sydney Morning Herald reported. He later died in hospital. Mango was well known for blending Mediterranean pop with world music and folk influences.
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MARK SANDMAN: Mark Sandman was the leader of the Boston rock trio Morphine who played a side bass with only two strings. Sandman, 46, died on July 3, 1999 during a performance at the Giardini del Principe in Palestrina, near Rome. The musician collapsed in front of several thousand fans on the second day of a three-day festival, following a heart attack.
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PEDRO GONZALEZ: Pedro Gonzalez, 55, was one of the greatest violinists of the Cuban music scene. He was regarded as a musical celebrity since he was a teenager. Depestre started playing violin at the age of five, and by the time he was 13 was invited to join one of the great Cuban bands. Performing on the first night of the Cachaito Lopez’s band on a European tour, he collapsed in Basel, Switzerland, on April 8, 2001.
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons
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