Barbara Weldens, an up-and-coming artist from France, died suddenly this week while performing on stage at a church in the village of Goudron.
She was 35 years old.
According to The BBC, Weldens may have been electrocuted as a result of thunderstorms in the area effecting pieces of her equipment.
She is said to have suffered a cardiac arrest and medics called to the scene were unable to revive her.
Tragically, the singer had released her debut album, “Le Grand H de l’Homme,” just last year, as it went on to garner strong reviews and accumulate a number of awards for Weldens.
Based on her official website biography, Weldens grew up in the circus, where she learned juggling, acrobatics, and trapeze.
She later fell in love with music, learning how to play the piano and to write songs.
The organizers of the Pic D’Or prize, which Weldens won in 2016, said the following in a statement on Thursday:
“It was with great emotion that we learned this morning of the death of Barbara Weldens, our Pic d’Or 2016 at a concert last night in Gourdon in the Lot, obviously electrocuted.
“Our team is deeply disturbed by the brutal disappearance of the artist who had appeared on the stage of the Theater des Nouveaux on May 20th, during our last edition.
“A radiant woman, full of energy and talented, and of course we think of all her family and her loved ones.”
Weldens was scheduled to continue her tour in Belgium and in other parts of France later this month.
“I’ve always written poems, even when I was little,” she told Midi Libre newspaper last month, adding:
“Then I took piano lessons as a teen. All I wanted to do was compose.”
No one from Weldens’ team or family has commented yet on her passing.
We send them our heartfelt condolences.
May the 35-year old rest in peace.