Hip-Hop Star Dies After Possible Poisoning: Pasha Technique Was 40

Russian rapper Pasha Technique died in a hospital in Thailand on Saturday, April 5 following a possible poisoning.

The musician, real name Pavel Ivlev, was determined to have died from septic shock and severe bacterial pneumonia, according to Lenta.RU. He was 40.

The rapper had been fighting for his life in a Thai hospital for 10 days prior to his passing. He was hospitalized in late March and placed in a medically induced coma after he was diagnosed with acute respiratory distress syndrome and altered state of consciousness, according to local reports. He later developed multiple organ failure, hemodynamic instability, and severe lung damage. At the time, his manager told RBC that Technique was “poisoned by something or consumed something.” Further information regarding a possible poisoning isn’t available at this time.

Amid his hospitalization, Technique reportedly developed septic shock against the background of severe bacterial pneumonia. On April 4, he experienced clinical death, but was resuscitated. Although his ex-wife Eva Karitskaya wrote on social media that he initially showed some improvement, the musician passed away the following day, Karitskaya writing on social media, “The kingdom of heaven. I will remember you so happy.”

“Unfortunately, we confirm the information about the death of Russian citizen P.N. Ivlev on April 5. We express our condolences to his family and friends,” the Russian Consulate General in Phuket Province shared in a statement, TASS reported. “The Consulate General continues to be in contact with the medical institution where the Russian citizen was located, representatives of the relatives, and provide them with possible assistance, including in repatriating the body to his homeland.”

Born on July 1, 1984, Technique rose to become a prominent Russian rapper, music figure, and a cult figure. He founded the hip-hop group Kunteynir in 2002, the group releasing their first album in 2004. Although the group broke up in 2008 due to Technique’s prison term, it reassembled in 2013. The group released more than ten albums from 2004 to 2024.

News of the rapper’s death sparked an outpouring of tributes from fans, thousands of whom gathered outside Peter and Paul Church in eastern Moscow during his funeral service on Friday, The Moscow Times reported. Mourners chanted Technique’s name and crowded the street outside of the church.

Following the service, Technique’s casket was transported to the Nikolo-Arkhangelskoye cemetery in the eastern Moscow suburb of Balashikha. The rapper is survived by his son, Ivan, whom he welcomed with Karitskaya in 2019.