South African rapper Costa Titch, born Constantinos Tsobanoglou, has been confirmed dead by his family, shortly after the 23-year-old rapper was reported to have collapsed during his performance at a music festival.

The newly surfaced clips on social media over the weekend, showed Tsobanoglou tripping on stage before being helped up by a bystander, after which the rapper appeared to stand by himself briefly before appearing to pass out.

Hours later, Tsobanoglou’s family took to social media to announce the sad news:

“It is with deep pain that we find ourselves having to acknowledge his passing at this time,” Tsobanoglou’s family wrote on his Instagram. “We are thankful for those emergency responders and all those present in his last hours on earth.”

“As a family we are faced with a difficult time as we try to make sense of what has befallen us and ask that we be afforded the time and space to gather ourselves..” they added.

As of press time, there has been no mention of the rapper’s cause of death.

The organizers of the festival, dubbed Ultra South Africa, also released a statement, which read:

“Costa was a galvanizing voice amongst South Africa’s amapiano scene — a talented rapper, dancer, singer, songwriter, collaborator, and friend to the festival,”

Tsobanoglou was born in the town of Nelspruit in northern South Africa, and before switching to rap, he had a successful dancing career.

After becoming popular on TikTok, Tsobanoglou’s song “Big Flexa” established him as a household name throughout Africa. The rapper had just joined forces with a record company run by the Senegalese-American artist Akon, who was featured on a remix of “Big Flexa.”

Tsobanoglou’s passing follows that of his friend and fellow South African rapper AKA, born Kiernan Jarryd Forbes, who was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting while standing outside of a restaurant.

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