By Benjamin Wickham
Johannesburg, March 12 — South Africa is once again mourning the death of one of its beloved musicians. Costa Tsobanoglou, popularly known as Costa Titch, collapsed and died while performing at the Ultra South Africa music festival in Johannesburg. The rapper and songwriter was only 27 years old.
Videos of his collapse on stage have gone viral on social media, showing Costa performing one of his songs before suddenly collapsing. His security lifted him up and Costa continued to perform, but he collapsed again and did not get back up. People in the audience were seen rushing to help him.
There has been no official confirmation of the cause of his death or even that he has passed away. But many musicians, music networks, and politicians have expressed their condolences on social media, including Julius Sello Malema, a member of the South African parliament.
Costa was a rising star in the South African music scene, gaining popularity for his contribution to the Amapiano genre with hits like “Big Flexa,” “Nkalakatha,” and “Activate.” His single “Big Flexa” has over 45 million views on YouTube, and a remix featuring US artist Akon was recently released. Costa had just signed a contract with Konvict Kulture, Akon’s record company, before his untimely death.
This tragedy comes just a month after another South African rapper, Kiernan Forbes, also known as AKA, was shot dead in Durban. The deaths of these two young musicians have shocked the music industry and their fans, leaving many in mourning. South Africa has lost two icons in a short period of time, and the impact of their loss will be felt for a long time to come. – Namibia Daily News
