Haitian musician Mikaben dies at 41 on stage

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Haitian musician Michael “Mikaben” Benjamin has been announced dead on Sunday after collapsing on stage immediately following a performance with the popular Haitian band, Carimi, during an anniversary reunion performance in Paris a day earlier. 

Also known as “Mika", his pregnant wife Vanessa Fanfan, who is due to deliver their child in December, is mourning his death, and his father Lionel “Père Noël” Benjamin, dubbed the “Haitian Santa Claus” for his popular Christmas song, Abdenwèl.

Although the cause of death is yet to be determined, reports say the Mikaben died from cardiac arrest. Alex Abellard, the maestro of the Brooklyn-based band Zin that was one of the founders of the New Generation Konpa in the late 1980s said, “He was a musical genius and that’s what we just lost", adding, “His writing was very original... just imagine not having that anymore in a country that’s missing so much now. That’s a big loss for our culture globally.” 

Abellard reminisced Zin's tour with Benjamin in Martinique and Guadeloupe, with a magnetic personality and presence that left his fans waiting in line to meet him as he took time to interact with them. 

“It just crushes me. It crushes me,” said Abellard late Saturday.

“Mikaben was one of the most diverse artists that we had. He played all genres. He wasn’t stuck to the Haitian culture. He would bring whatever color he would get all over the world. He was an original. We lost a very talented artist, a very talented producer. He worked with everybody.”

His musical career lasted more than 20 years after becoming famous locally and then abroad in the early 2000s with major hits like “Ou Pati” and popular collaborations with fellow Haitian Music Industry (HMI) stars like Carimi, Alan Cave, and DJ Michael Brun.

After the popular band Konpa Kreyol split into two groups, Kreyol La and Krezi Mizik, the latter recruited Benjamin as a lead singer of his skillful voice. 

Benjamin’s vocal talent made Krezi Mizik a booming band in the HMI, singing melodies and captivating an audience, moving throngs of revelers as they waved their bandanas crazily. 

Benjamin and his wife Vanessa married in November 2020 and had a daughter one year later. In his last tweet, in French, Benjamin wished his ‘older brothers’ Carimi good luck at the Paris concert and thanked them for giving musicians like him opportunities to shine after the trio.

Haitian celebrities and fans have taken to social media to express their shock through videos of Benjamin’s last moments on stage, as they sent condolences and shared how Mikaben's music impacted their lives and represented Haitian culture on the global stage.