Singer Dies After Collapsing During Concert: Details on Volkan Konak’s Death

Turkish singer Volkan Konak has died after collapsing on stage during a performance in İskele in northern Cyprus over the weekend.

The acclaimed singer appeared well and energetic in video shared by the audience before he suddenly collapsed mid-performance, according to Turkish news agencies. Bystanders rushed to his aid and Konak was transported via ambulance to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead at the age of 58.

“Artist Volkan Konak was admitted to Magusa State Hospital at 00:17 after suddenly falling ill,” the Health Ministry of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) confirmed, per Türkiye Today. “He unfortunately passed away at 00:42 despite all interventions. A detailed statement will be issued by the hospital’s chief medical officer.”

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According to a statement released by Gazimagusa State Hospital, per English Bianet, Konak was unresponsive when he arrived at the hospital and was immediately transported to the hospital’s CPR unit, where a “team consisting of an anesthesiologist, emergency physicians, and internal medicine and cardiology specialists provided advanced life support for 25 minutes. Despite all efforts, there was no response, and taking into account the clinical process, CPR was terminated at 00.42 and the artist was declared deceased.”

Konak’s cause of death remains unknown this time and is pending the results of an autopsy.

Born in the Yeşilyurt village of Maçka, Trabzon Province in 1967, Konak was known for blending traditional Turkish folk music with modern elements, creating songs inspired by poets such as Nazim Hikmet, Sunay Akin, and Yasar Mirac. He released his debut album, Suların Horon Yeri, in 1987, and followed it with numerous other albums, including Efulim (1993), Gelir misin Benimle? (1994), Volkanik Parçalar (1996), and Mimoza (2009). He was known for songs including “Goklerde Kartal Gibiydim,” “Mimoza Cicegi,” and “Cerrahpasa,” the altter of which he wrote in remembrance of his late sister, who died from cancer following the Chernobyl disaster.

Throughout his career, he received numerous awards, such as TRT, MU-YAP, and the Journalists’ Association of Türkiye awards. He also established his own production company, Kuzey Müzik Prodüksiyon.

Paying tribute to the late singer, Mayor of Ankara Mansur Yavas remembered Konak as the “Son of the North,” writing that his “powerful voice that shook our hearts, his songs that brought the rebellious wind of the Black Sea will now live on in our memories. He was not just an artist; he was always the voice, heart and friend of these lands.”

Konak’s body was set to be flown back to following the completion of an autopsy. He will be laid to rest in Macka, in the Black Sea’s Trabzon province, on April 2.