PARIS (AP) 鈥� Rapper Werenoi, France鈥檚 biggest-selling music artist in recent years, has died at the age of 31, his producer and record company said.
The artist, whose real name was J茅r茅my Bana Owona, was the number 1 album seller in France in 2023 and 2024 according to the ranking of the National Union of Phonographic Industry, which includes in-store and e-commerce sales as well as plays on streaming services.
"It鈥檚 with immense sadness that we鈥檝e learned of Werenoi鈥檚 passing,鈥� his record company Believe said on Instagram. 鈥淎ll our thoughts are with his family, loved ones, his team and everyone who knew him.鈥�
鈥淩est in peace my brother, I love you,鈥� his producer Babs posted on X.
French media report Werenoi died early Saturday in a Paris hospital. The cause of his death has not been made public.
Werenoi first became known to the French public in 2021 when he posted his song 鈥淕uadalajara鈥� on YouTube and it was viewed hundreds of thousand times.
He released three albums, 鈥淐arr茅鈥� in 2023, 鈥淧yramide鈥� the next year and 鈥淒iamant Noir鈥� last month, making him one of the biggest names in French rap.
Several French rappers posted tributes on social media. French-Malian , who featured on his second album, wrote : 鈥淩est in peace my dude. A news that saddens me and courage to the loved ones especially.鈥�
鈥淗e made a difference for the quality of his songs, his melodies and his punchlines,鈥� singer Pascal Obispo, who had accompanied Werenoi on the piano at a 2023 Paris concert, told French newspaper Le Parisien.
The Associated Press
