Encore

By Tamar Lev-On

Archive – Death on Stage

Lil Hardin Armstrong
Lil Hardin was performing at a televised memorial concert for Louis Armstrong (she was his second wife), when she collapsed at the piano and died an hour later.
She was playing “The St. Louis Blues” when she was stricken.
The concert took place at the Civic Center Plaza Chicago.

Alberto Bertapelle
Bertapelle, better known by his stage name Brainbug, was an Italian symphonic electronic trance music producer and guitarist from Ceggia, Italy. He died of a suspected heart attack at 57 years old while playing the guitar in a performance on stage during a concert in Tavagnacco of Udine, Italy.
Music: “Nightmare”

Anthony John Burger

was an American pianist and singer, most closely associated with Southern gospel music. Burger died of a massive heart attack after performing aboard the MS Zuiderdam, a cruise ship chartered for a Gaither Gospel Cruise. According to eyewitnesses, Burger was accompanying Bill and Gloria Gaither and Guy Penrod when fans in the audience noticed Burger had ceased moving, his hands clenched into fists over the keyboard.

Kuo Chin-fa
Chinese: 郭金發; was a Taiwanese singer.  Kuo collapsed on stage and was taken to Kaohsiung Armed Forces General Hospital, where he was declared dead. Kuo, who sang in Hoklo (also known as Taiwanese), was performing at an event in to mark the Double Ninth Festival, the traditional senior citizens’ day which falls on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month. According to audience members, Kuo performed his first two songs without incident, but as he started singing his third song, Hot Rice Dumpling, the audience noticed something was wrong.
Music: “Hot Rice Dumpling”
While performing in Weiwuying Township (衛武營) in the city’s Fengshan District (鳳山), Kaohsiung.

Spade Cooley
The self-proclaimed “King of Western Swing” hybrid between country western and the swing music of the big band era let his jealousy overcome him in 1961, when he brutally murdered his wife. Convicted for his crime, Cooley served eight years in prison before he was scheduled for parole. Three months before his release date—the 59-year-old was granted a 72-hour furlough so he could perform a benefit for the Deputy Sheriff's Association in Alameda County, California. After singing the words, “Time to live before it’s time to die,” the audience gave him a standing ovation as he walked off the stage and died of a heart attack.
Bruce Hampton
Bruce Hampton (born Gustav Valentine Berglund III) was an American musician. In the late 1960s he was a founding member of Atlanta, Georgia's avant-garde Hampton Grease Band. Adopting the moniker Colonel Hampton B. Coles, Retired or alternatively Col. Bruce Hampton Ret., and sometimes playing a sort of dwarf guitar called a "chazoid". On May 1, 2017, Hampton was honored by his friends for his 70th birthday. During the encore performance of the show, Hampton suffered a massive heart attack and collapsed on stage. Onlookers and his fellow musicians initially either did not notice that Hampton had collapsed, or thought it was a ruse due to his history of falling down onstage during performances and other practical jokes. As a result, Hampton lay face down at Niederauer's feet, his left arm draped over a stage monitor, as Niederauer soloed on "Turn On Your Love Light".
Music: “Turn On Your Love Light”
The Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia.
Addie ‘Micki’ Harris
A member of the pioneering female R&B group the Shirelles, Harris used to tell group mate Beverly Lee, “When I die, I want to go real quickly, and I want to go with my rock and roll shoes on.” In 1982, shortly after coming off stage, Harris, collapsed of a heart attack and died, still wearing her rock and roll shoes.
Music: “Will you still love me tomorrow”
The Hyatt Regency Hotel in Atlanta.
John Thomas "Sib" Hashian
John Thomas "Sib" Hashian, the drummer who played on Boston's first two bestselling LPs, has died after collapsing in the middle of a set while performing on board a cruise ship, the Independence of the Seas. Word of Hashian's death first arrived from a variety of sources inside the Legends of Rock cruise, which found him playing Boston hits alongside fellow ex-band members.
Music: “More than a feeling”
The cruise ship MSC Divina, operated by MSC Cruises.

Joseph Edgar Howard
An American Broadway composer, lyricist, librettist, and performer. A famed member of Tin Pan Alley along with wife and composer Ida Emerson as part of the song-writing team of Howard and Emerson, his hits included "Hello! Ma Baby" and Broadway musicals like "I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now?". Howard died on stage in Chicago while singing "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" during a curtain call.
Music: “Let Me Call You Sweetheart”
Alexander Minto Hughes
Alexander Minto Hughes AKA Judge Dread was an English Reggae recording artist and ska musician. He died of a heart attack he suffered as he was walking off stage after performing.
Music: “Bring back the Skins”
The Penny Theatre in Canterbury, England.

Jane Little
An Atlanta Symphony Orchestra bassist whose career spanned a world-record 71 years with a single orchestra, died after collapsing onstage during a performance in Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Little collapsed while performing There's No Business Like Show Business.
Music: “There's No Business Like Show Business”
Talal Maddah
Arabic: طلال مدَّاح, was a Saudi Arabian musician and composer. He was named Maddah after his mother's family. His fans called him "The Earth's Voice" (صوت الارض), and he was also known as "The Golden Throat" (الحنجرة الذهبية). He had a substantial influence over 20th century-Arabian culture Maddah collapsed and died suddenly of a heart attack on Al Meftaha Stage in front of his fans shortly after he performed an intro to one of his famous songs.
Music: “Give me Love”
Al Meftaha Stage (مسرح المفتاحة) in Abha.

Miriam Makeba
The Grammy Award-winning South African singer and civil rights activist Miriam Makeba suffered a heart attack shortly after singing her hit song, Pata Pata in a concert held in Italy. Known as “Mama Africa” and the “Empress of African Song”, Makeba was the first black South African musician to gain international fame, winning renown in the 1950s for her sweeping vocals. She was loathed by South Africa’s white minority rulers.
Music: “Pata Pata ”
the square of Castel Volturno, near Caserta, Italy.
Warne Marsh
Jazz saxophonist Warne Marsh died of a heart attack after collapsing onstage while performing Out of Nowhere. According to another member of his celebrated quartet, Marsh “just slipped off his stool.” He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Music: “Out of Nowhere”
Donte’s in North Hollywood.
Daniel McLain
Better known as Country Dick Montana of the underground rock band The Beat Farmers, Daniel McLain met his fate on stage following a heart attack which took him suddenly during a sold-out performance.
The Longhorn Saloon in Whistler, B.C.

Nick Menza
The former drummer of heavy metal band Megadeth has died after suffering a massive heart attack on stage. Menza was playing with his band OHM at on Saturday night when he collapsed during the third song of the set.
the Baked Potato in Los Angeles.

Zeki Müren
Adored Turkish singer and pop idol died of a heart attack during a live performance on stage, during the ceremony held for him at TRT İzmir Television in the city of Izmir, Turkey. His death caused the greatest public grief in years and thousands of Turks attended his funeral. Zeki Müren Art Museum was established in Bodrum, where Müren used to live. All his worldly possessions are donated to the Türk Egitim Vakfi (Foundation for Turkish Education) and Mehmetçik Vakfi (Armed Forces Foundation for Disabled Veterans and Families of the Martyrs.)
Music: “Ah bu şarkıların gözü kör olsun”

David Charles Olney
An American folk singer-songwriter. Olney recorded more than twenty albums over his five-decade career. His songs have been covered by numerous artists. Olney died of an apparent heart attack during a performance onstage at the 30A Songwriter Festival in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. He was in the middle of his third song when he stopped, apologized and shut his eyes, according to fellow musician Scott Miller, who was accompanying Olney onstage.
Santa Rosa Beach, Florida.
Marg Osburne
A Canadian country, folk and gospel singer. She was a recipient (posthumously) of the ECMA Stompin' Tom Connors award. Osburne continued to perform until she collapsed during a concert in Rocklyn, Ontario and died from the heart attack before she reached the hospital, exactly five years after Charlie Chamberlain's death.
Music: “Little Arrows”
Papa Wemba
Jules Shungu Wembadio Pene Kikumba professionally known as Papa Wemba, was a Congolese singer and musician who played Congolese rumba, soukous, and ndombolo. Dubbed the "King of Rumba Rock", he was one of the most popular musicians of his time in Africa and played an important role in world music. Wemba died after collapsing on stage in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, during the FEMUA urban music festival, after performing three songs.
הופעה אחרונה
Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
Václav Pichl
Pichl (Known in German as Wenzel Pichl) was a Czech classical composer of the 18th century. He was also a violinist, music director and writer. Wenzel Pichl died at Vienna, Austria, as the result of a stroke while playing a violin concerto at the Palais Lobkowitz.
Palais Lobkowitz, Vienna, Austria.
Skinny Dennis Sanchez
A country musician in the Los Angeles area. He played the upright bass, most famously accompanying Nashville musician Guy Clark. His nickname is in reference to his having Marfan syndrome; Sanchez stood at 6'11", and weighed 135 lbs. Sanchez died of heart failure on stage, playing the bass with John Malcolm Penn.
At Captain Jack's in Sunset Beach.
Mark Sandman
Lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Morphine, collapsed on stage during a concert in Rome. He had suffered a heart attack and was pronounced dead in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. His death has been attributed to heavy stress and the temperature of over 99 °F (37 °C) on the night of his death.
The Giardini del Principe in Palestrina, Lazio, Italy
Sylvia Syms
American jazz and cabaret singer Sylvia Syms was considered by Frank Sinatra to be the world’s greatest saloon singer. She died of a heart attack during a set at New York City’s Algonquin Hotel.
Music: “Comes Love”
Algonquin Hotel Oak Room.

Miguelito Valdés
Valdés, also known as Mr. Babalú, was a renowned Cuban singer. His performances were characterized by a strong voice and a particular sense of cubanismo. He suffered a fatal heart attack on stage while singing at Hotel Tequendama, Bogota.
Music: “Babalu”
Hotel Tequendama, Bogota.

Auguste van Biene
A Dutch composer, cellist and actor. He became best known for his composition The Broken Melody, performed by the composer as part of a musical play of the same name. Van Biene died while on stage, playing the cello in the play "The Master Musician", with his son conducting the orchestra.
Music: “Broken Melody”
The Brighton Hippodrome
Richard Versalle
American operatic tenor died onstage at New York’s Metropolitan Opera. On the first night of the performance of Janáček’s The Makropulos Case, Versalle, who was playing the legal clerk Vitek, climbed a 20 ft ladder to file a legal brief, but had a heart attack midway and plunged to his death.
Music from “The Makropulos Case”
The New York’s Metropolitan Opera
Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson
While performing at Yokohama’s Blues Cafe, the rhythm and blues legend suffered a heart attack. Johnny “Guitar” Watson was a blues/soul/funk guitar player known for his cool shades, Fedora, and flamboyant leisure suits. He was a highly influential player and many of his songs like “Superman Lover” and “I Need It” had risque overtones. On 1996, in Yokohama Japan, while soloing during his signature tune “Ain't That a Bitch,” he suffered a myocardial infarction and collapsed. His last words were “ain't that a bitch.” He was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.
Music: “ain't that a bitch”
Yokohama’s Blues Café, Japan
Edith Webster
After singing several choruses of Please Don’t Talk About Me When I’m Gone during a performance of The Drunkard, actress Edith Webster collapsed on stage for her scripted death scene and suffered an unscripted fatal heart attack. She was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Music: “Please Don’t Talk About Me When I’m Gone”
At the Towson Moose Lodge, Towson, Maryland.

Onie Wheeler
American country and bluegrass musician died of a massive heart attack while performing on stage. Wheeler was onstage playing with Rev. Jimmie Snow when he collapsed and died.
Music: “Run Em Off”
the Grand Ole Opry, Nashville.

Philippé Wynne
In the 1970s, Wynne fronted The Spinners, whose hits included ‘I’ll Be Around’ and ‘The Rubberband Man.’ In 1984, the performer was dancing in the audience during an encore at Ivey's nightclub in Oakland, California, when he collapsed of a heart attack. He died the next morning.
Music: “Mighty Love”

יוסי אלפנט
יוסי אלפנט נפטר מדום לב, רגע לאחר שסיים לנגן וירד מהבמה בהופעה במועדון הלוגוס בתל אביב.
שיר: "איך כש"
מועדון הלוגוס, תל-אביב.

Devon Clifford
Devon Clifford was the drummer for the Vancouver dance-rock band You Say Party! We Say Die! In April 2010, the group was playing a triumphant hometown show at Vancouver, After a lengthy North American tour when Clifford collapsed onstage, suffering a massive brain haemorrhage from a congenital defect. Clifford was rushed into emergency neurosurgery but after a day on life support, he passed away. The band later changed their named to You Say Party and now feature a drum machine
Music: “Opportunity”
The Rickshaw Theatre in Vancouver.

Nelson Ackerman Eddy
An American singer and actor who appeared in 19 musical films during the 1930s and 40s. Eddy was performing in Palm Beach, Florida, when he was stricken on stage with a cerebral haemorrhage. His singing partner, Gale Sherwood, and his accompanist, Ted Paxson, were at his side. He died a few hours.
At that moment he was singing the song: “Dardanella”
the Sans Souci Hotel in Palm Beach, Florida.

Sir Henry Irving
An English stage actor and actor-manager operating in the Victorian era, Sir Henry Irving was the first actor to be awarded a knighthood. One October evening, he was performing as Becket in Tennyson’s play of the same name, at the Bradford Theatre. Upon uttering the line “Into thy hands, O Lord, into thy hands” he was seized by fainting, and died shortly after. The Theatre Royal Bradford is considered haunted by the ghost of Sir Henry Irving. Dracula’s author Bram Stoker was Irving’s manager, and a photo of him leaving the Bradford theatre following the death of the famous actor continues to intrigue people to this day. (below right)
The Theatre Royal, Bradford.

Paolo ‘Feiez’ Panigada
Feiez was a member of the Italian band Elio e le Storie Tese. He died of a brain haemorrhage while performing onstage in December 1998.

Tiny Tim
Herbert Khaury, more popularly known as Tiny Tim, was a larger-than-life celebrity in his Swingin' Sixties heyday when his falsetto-and-ukulele version of “Tiptoe Through the Tulips” was a Top 20 hit. However, by the time of his death in 1996, he had a fraction of the fame and fortune. In September of that year, he fell while performing at the Ukulele Hall of Fame and severely injured his head. Still, he continued to entertain for his small but loyal fan base. His final appearance, against his doctor's orders, was at a Minneapolis Women's Club to a handful of people, where he collapsed while singing his signature song on an out-of-tune ukulele.
Music: “Tiptoe Through the Tulips”
Minneapolis Women's Club.
Louis Vierne
On a June evening in Paris, a reported 3,000 people gathered to hear the famous organist and composer, Louis Vierne of Notre Dame, perform. Vierne could barely climb the steps up to the organ loft; a doctor administered heart stimulant pills to help. Vierne suffered either a stroke or a heart attack (eyewitness reports differ) while giving his 1750th organ recital. The closing section of his main concert was to be two improvisations on selected themes. He read the first theme in Braille, then selected the stops he would use for the improvisation. He suddenly pitched forward and fell off the bench as his foot hit the low ‘E’ pedal of the organ. He lost consciousness as the single note echoed throughout the church.
Music: Organ improvisation at the Notre Dame.
Notre Dame de Paris.
Leonard Warren
Just after he completed his second-act aria in Verdi’s La Forza del Destino (The Force of Destiny) at the New York’s Metropolitan Opera, American opera singer Leonard Warren plunged face-forward onto the stage. The curtain was hung, and it was announced 30 minutes later that the singer had died of a massive stroke.
Music: from the opera “The Force of Destiny”
The New York’s Metropolitan Opera

Augstin Briolini
The leader of an Argentine band called The Krebs that was performing in Argentina. He approached the mic during the first song of the set and was electrocuted. He died at the scene.
Music: “Naufragar”
The Theatre of the Sun inVilla Carlos Paz, Argentina.

Leslie Harvey
The lead guitarist of the Glasgow band Stone the Crows died after being electrocuted onstage at Swansea's Top Rank Ballroom.
Music: “Love 74”
Top Rank Ballroom, Swansea.

Predag Jovicic
San (Сан) was a former Yugoslav rock band from Belgrade. The band was established in 1971 by the composer Aleksandar ‘Sanja’ Ilić, and disbanded in 1975, after the band’s vocalist Predrag Jovičić died in concert from an electric shock.
Cair Hall in Nis.

Barbara Weldens
A French singer-songwriter. Weldens was on tour and was performing in south-west France for the festival Léo Ferré when she collapsed on stage at about midnight and was pronounced dead of cardiac arrest. An autopsy confirmed that she had been electrocuted; she normally performed barefoot, and her foot made contact with a defective piece of electrical equipment.
Notre-Dame des Cordeliers church in the town of Gourdon in south-west France.

Joana Sainz Garcia
A Spanish singer, dancer, and songwriter from Madrid, Spain. She was performing with the Super Hollywood Orchestra on the final night of a four-day festival held in Las Berlanas, near Madrid. Joana Sainz died while performing in front of an audience of 1000 people, at a four-day music festival at Las Berlanas. A pyrotechnic device used during the performance exploded next to her. She was struck in the stomach by a faulty cartridge used in the device.
Las Berlanas.

Ty Longley
On February 20, 2003, the 1980’s metal band Great White was performing its song ‘Desert Moon’ at Rhode Island, when the band's fireworks were triggered suddenly. The ill-planned pyrotechnics show caused a disastrous fire that killed 100 people inside the 50-year-old building. While most of the band escaped through a nearby stage door, Longley leaped off the front of the stage, toward a friend. The friend survived but Longley did not.
Music: “Desert Moon”
The Station in Warwick, Rhode Island.

Darrell Abbott
‘Dimebag’ Darrell Abbott, formerly of the metal act Pantera, was shot by a disturbed fan while performing with his new group, Damageplan in Ohio.
Music: “Out of Nowhere”
Alrosa Villa, Columbus, Ohio.
Johnny Ace
Rhythm and blues recording star Johnny Ace died during a show he was giving on Christmas Day in Houston, but did so offstage. During a five minute break, the singer was amusing himself with a game of Russian Roulette (one bullet in the chamber). He lost. Depositions given by three witnesses indicate at least five people were in the dressing room, including Olivia Gibbs and her friend Mary Carter, who had a pint of vodka she was sharing with people as they came into the room.
Music: “Pledging My Love”
The City Auditorium in Houston, Texas.
Christina Grimmi
The YouTuber and “The Voice America” participant was shot by a fan while signing autographs after a concert at Orlando. Kevin Loibl brought two guns, a knife and extra ammunition with him to The Plaza Live on the night he shot and killed Christina Grimmie and then killed himself.
Music: “Advice”
The Plaza Live, Orlando.
Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States and his wife attended the play Our American Cousin on the evening of April 14, just five days after the Union victory at the Battle of Appomattox Courthouse. They sat at the presidential booth of Ford's Theatre, as John Wilkes Booth entered the back of Lincoln's theatre box, crept up from behind, and fired at the back of Lincoln's head, mortally wounding him.
Ford Theatre, Washington DC.

Lee Morgan
American hard bop trumpeter was killed in the early hours in New York City’s East Village where his band was performing. Following an argument between sets, Morgan’s wife, Helen More, pulled a gun and shot her husband. The injuries were not immediately fatal, but the ambulance service was reluctant to go into the neighborhood where the club was located. They took so long to get there that Morgan bled to death.
New York City’s East Village jazz club Slug’s Saloon.

Sarah Guyard-Guillot
During a performance of the Cirque du Soleil extravaganza Kà, aerialist performer Sarah Guyard-Guillot plummeted an estimated 27 metres into a pit below the stage. She died of her injuries before she reached hospital.
MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Karl Wallenda
The German-American aerialist and founder of The Flying Wallendas, died while attempting to walk a wire suspended 121 feet in the air between two ten storey hotel towers in Sao Paulo. Due to improper wiring support, coupled with high winds, Wallenda fell to his death during his attempt. A film crew from WAPA-TV in San Juan caught the fall on tape.
Condado Plaza Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico

Kipp Rusty Walker
A 19-year-old from Bend Oregon, stepped onstage to perform a song he called “Sorry for the Mess,” took out a knife and repeatedly stabbed himself in the chest in front of the small crowd. People were too stunned to realize what was happening at first but rushed to his aid when they saw blood. An unnamed friend said Kipp had been planning to publicly commit suicide for a long time.
Strictly Organic Coffee Company, Oregon

Meredith Curly Hunter, Jr.
An audience member who was killed at the 1969 Altamont Free Concert. During the performance by The Rolling Stones, Hunter approached the stage, and was violently driven off by members of the Hells Angels motorcycle club who had agreed to serve as security guards. He subsequently returned to the stage area, drew a revolver, and was stabbed and beaten to death by Hells Angel Alan Passaro.
Music: “Under my Thumb”
Altamont concert site.

a thank you to Centre for Dying on Stage for a large part of the info brought here!

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