Drummer Raja Azreen Raja Talib, 56, died last month after falling unconscious on stage during a live performance with his rock band Meditasi in Malaysia. The musician collapsed during the second song of their set at the Teruntum Rock Festival in Kuantan on July 18.
Collapse on stage
Frontman Bakaruddin Daud, also known as Burn, noticed the drummer slump over on his drum kit during the performance. Burn said he "rushed towards" Talib, "but I could sense that he might already have been gone."
"I called out to him and patted him, but there was no response. His body had also become cold," the singer added. Emergency services were called to the scene and Talib was rushed to hospital.
Cause of death
The drummer's brother, Azman, told Berita Harian the musician was pronounced dead just before 11pm local time, with his cause of death being heart complications. He shared that the drummer was hospitalised in June due to heart issues.
Azman said: "He was hospitalised twice; the first stay lasted two to three weeks before he was admitted again. It is possible that extreme fatigue took a toll [on his heart]." He added that Raja "went straight" from a BMX competition to performing at the music festival.
Band's history
Burn said that he was "deeply affected" by Talib's death, as they had known each other for decades. He later revealed that the late drummer had recently been diagnosed with diabetes but admitted he showed no signs of illness before taking to the stage.
Meditasi, which means Meditation in Malay, was active in the 1980s and 1990s and disbanded before reuniting in 2015. The band has more than 46,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.
