South Africa is mourning the loss of another icon. Costa Tsobanoglou, better known as Costa Titch, collapsed and died during a music festival in Johannesburg.
On Saturday night, the 27-year-old was performing on stage when he collapsed while singing one of his songs, according to videos that went viral on social media.
He was quickly lifted up by his security and resumed his performance, but he collapsed again and did not stand again. People were seen rushing over to help him.
Costa was in South Africa for the Ultra South Africa music festival. There has been no official confirmation of his death or the cause as of yet.
His death comes exactly one month after another South African tapper, Kiernan Forbes alias AKA, was gunned down in Durban.
Costa recently signed a deal with Akon’s record label, Konvict Kulture. Titch rose to prominence with singles such as “Big Flexa,” “Nkalakatha,” and “Activate,” as well as his contribution to the Amapiano genre.
Big Flexa has over 45 million YouTube views, and a remix featuring US artist Akon was recently released.
Although there has been no official confirmation of his death, many artists, music networks, and politicians have expressed their condolences, including South African parliamentarian Julius Sello Malema.
According to media reports, Costa Titch, a South African rapper and songwriter, collapsed and died at a music festival in Johannesburg, bringing a tragic end to an energetic music concert.
The 27-year-old was on stage performing one of his songs when he collapsed. Later, he stood up and resumed his performance, only to collapse and die again. There has been no official confirmation of his death as of yet.
Following the news, several politicians, artists, celebrities, and others, including South African parliamentarian Julius Sello Malema, expressed their condolences. Costa Titch was performing at the Ultra South Africa music festival in Johannesburg at the time of the incident.
On social media, videos of the singer performing on stage minutes before his collapse has gone viral. One of the videos, shared by a Twitter user, shows the singer immediately regaining his composure after falling on stage. He even kept singing. He collapsed again after a few seconds and did not stand up again. In the video, several volunteers can be seen reaching out to him for assistance after the incident. The cause of his death is unknown at this time.
Costa Titch, who was he?
Costa Tsobanoglou was the original name of South Africa’s rising artist. Costa Titch, as he was affectionately known, was born in Mbombela, a city near the border with Swatini and Mozambique. He recently released a remix song featuring US singer Akon. Big Flexa, his most successful single, has received over 45 million views on YouTube.
His other songs, such as Nkalakaatha and Phezulu, have also gone viral. Costa Titch recently discussed how his mother influenced his music career in recent interviews. He rose to international prominence after finishing 14th in an international Hip Hop Dance competition. The use of Izizulu lines in his songs has increased the popularity of his songs among the general public.
Notably, the tragic death of a rising South African rap star is the latest ungrateful event in the country’s music industry. Rikhado Makhado, also known as Riky Rick, was discovered dead from an apparent suicide in February 2022, a year ago.
