(Credit: Spotify)
Sat 17 May 2025 14:13, UK
French rapper Werenoi has passed away in the early hours of May 17th, just hours before he was set to play a show in Lyon. He was 31 years old.
Werenoi, whose real name is Jeremy Bana Owana, was confirmed to have died by the artist’s producer Babs. He released a short statement online that read: “Rest in peace my brother I love you!!!”
Owana was taken into intensive care but died in the early hours of May 17th. A French music news outlet reported the rapper was hospitalised after going into cardio-respiratory arrest.
This tragedy comes months after the musician fell victim to a “serious injury” and was seen with a cast on his arm. This became evident after the star won Album of the Year at French music awards Les Flammes in 2024. However, he didn’t appear in person to accept his award. Instead, he sent a video message of himself, in which the cast could be seen.
Rumours about his health had further been circulating since May 16th, when he was reported to be in a coma after missing a gig. However, Werenoi was a self-professed “mysterious figure”, as told in his artist bio on Spotify.
“I prefer to keep my private life to myself,” he said in 2024. “By talking too much, you can say what you don’t want to say. I prefer mystery. I say enough about myself in my lyrics.”
He was set to next play a show in Lyon on May 17th, at the Azar nightclub, which reportedly accommodates approximately 1,200 people.
Werenoi was huge in the French hip-hop world. He was most notably known for his hit songs Scarface, Solitaire and Chemin d’or. At his time of passing, he had more than 6.7 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
Tributes have been pouring in from fans and industry friends on his most recent Instagram post from May 1st.
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