A popular Malaysian drummer, Raja Azreen Raja Talib, died onstage during a performance at the Teruntum Rock Festival last month after collapsing over his drum kit. Talib, 56, was performing with his band Meditasi when he fell after the second song of their planned 10-song set.
Band frontman Bakaruddin Daud, known as Burn, described the moment he saw Talib slumped over the drums. "I rushed towards him, but I could feel that [he] was gone," Burn told Malaysian newspaper Berita Harian. "I called and patted [him], but there was no response. His body was already cold."
Fans at the festival were alarmed by the incident. Talib was transported to the nearby Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The drummer's older sibling, Raja, confirmed that Talib was given respiratory assistance but did not regain consciousness. The reported cause of death was heart complications.
Both Burn and Raja indicated that Talib had recently been diagnosed with diabetes. His brother also shared that Talib had been hospitalized twice in June due to heart issues, with one stay lasting two to three weeks. Raja suggested that extreme fatigue may have contributed to his brother's death, noting that Talib had gone directly from a BMX competition to the festival performance.
Meditasi, founded in 1983, rose to prominence during the 1990s Malaysian rock scene, known for performing Malay-language rock and power ballads. After a hiatus, the band reunited in 2015 and maintains a significant following, with over 46,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.