Malaysian rock drummer dies onstage mid-performance after collapsing over his drum kit

A popular drummer has died onstage at a rock festival after performing just two songs in his band’s set.

Malaysian rocker Raja Azreen Raja Talib was on stage with his rock band Meditasi (meaning “Meditation” in English) at the Teruntum Rock Festival in Malaysia last month when he suddenly collapsed mid-performance.

After playing the second song of a 10-piece set, the 56-year-old drummer was seen by frontman Bakaruddin Daud – also known as Burn – slumped over on his drum kit.

“I rushed towards him, but I could feel that [he] was gone,” Burn told Malaysian newspaper Berita Harian of the tragic moment, translated from Malay. “I called and patted [him], but there was no response. His body was already cold.”

“The fans were quite alarmed when they saw what was happening,” Burn continued, adding that he was “truly shocked and deeply saddened” by the death of his bandmate, who showed no signs of ill health before they took the stage at the festival.

“He was really happy to meet up with friends. He didn’t appear sad or unwell,” Burn said.

But shortly after he collapsed and was rushed to the nearby Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital, Talib was pronounced dead.

“He was given respiratory assistance, but he did not regain consciousness or respond after the collapse,” the drummer’s older sibling, Raja, confirmed to the outlet, adding that the cause of death was reportedly heart complications.

Both Talib’s brother and bandmate Burn revealed that the late drummer had recently been diagnosed with diabetes.

His brother further shared that Talib was hospitalized in June due to heart issues.

“He was hospitalized twice; the first stay lasted two to three weeks before he was admitted again,” Raja said, adding that “it is possible that extreme fatigue took a toll” on his brother’s heart as he went straight from a BMX competition to the music festival where he ultimately died.

Meditasi was founded in 1983 as a group named Metal Wizard before they rebranded in 1989.

The band shot to fame during the golden era of Malaysian rock in the 1990s and are much loved for performing Malay-language rock and power ballads.

After going on a temporary hiatus, they reunited in 2015 and currently have more than 46,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.