28-year-old South African rapper Costa Titch died Saturday night after collapsing on stage while performing at a music festival in Johannesburg.
"With deep pain we are forced to acknowledge his death," his relatives said in a statement collected by the local press. "We thank the emergency teams and all those who were present in his last hours on earth," the singer's parents added.
Waiting to know the reasons for his death, they ask for patience and express that "as a family, we face a difficult moment as we try to understand what has happened to us and ask that we be given time and space to meet."
Some of the attendees of his last concert shared videos through social networks where Costa Titch can be seen singing on stage when he falls to the ground. A few seconds later he manages to stand up with the help of a partner, but collapses again.
The rapper had been in the entertainment industry for a few years as a dancer, but had recently started his career in the world of rap. Earlier in the year he had signed to popular Senegalese-American rapper Akon's record label with the aim of launching his career internationally.
From the Ultra Music Festival, where he was performing when he passed away, they indicated in a statement that they are "devastated by the sudden loss of the South African artist."
