Tragedy struck during a rock and roll festival in the country of Malaysia in July when veteran drummer Raja Azreen Raja Talib collapsed during a performance by his band, Meditasi. Raja, 56, was revealed to have died shortly thereafter. Meditasi was performing at the Teruntum Rock Festival in Kuantan on July 18, 2026, when he collapsed during the second song of the band’s planned 10-song set.
Meditasi lead singer Bakaruddin Daud, known by fans and those within the music industry as Burn, spoke with the media about the incident. Burn recounted seeing his bandmate suddenly slump over his drum kit in the middle of the song. Azreen was quickly carried off stage and an ambulance arrived at the venue within a few minutes of the incident.
“I rushed towards him, but I could sense that he was already gone,” the rock singer said. “I called out to him and tapped him, but there was no response. His body was already cold. The fans were quite alarmed when they saw what was happening,” Burn told the press. Azreen was then whisked away to Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital, where he was pronounced dead just before 11 p.m. local time.
According to a report from Trending Politics News, Raja Azman Raja Taib, Azreen’s older brother, confirmed his passing. The drummer’s death was caused by heart complications. “He was given respiratory assistance, but he did not regain consciousness or respond after the collapse,” the drummer’s sibling went on to say.
Meditasi first formed back in the late 1980s, at a time when hard rock and hair metal were all the rage. Burn stated that Azreen had not shown any signs of ill health while the band rehearsed for their performance. “He was really happy to meet up with friends. He didn’t appear sad or unwell,” Burn told the media of his late bandmate.
Burn then said he was “truly shocked and deeply saddened” by the drummer’s passing. Azreen’s brother revealed that the drummer had recently been diagnosed with diabetes and was also hospitalized at one point with a heart condition. Burn also acknowledged this, but again, said Azreen seemed to be feeling a lot better at the time of the show.
“He was hospitalized twice; the first stay lasted two to three weeks before he was admitted again,” said Azman. He also stated that Azreen was likely fatigued from attending a BMX competition before playing the festival. When Azreen’s health had started to improve, he returned to competing in the world of BMX biking, while also playing with the band.
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Azman said all of this combined likely put too much stress on his heart that day and his body just gave out. The band, which originally went by the name Metal Wizard before a big rebrand in 1989, shot to fame during the golden era of Malaysian rock in the 1990s. They are well loved by fans in the country and other places around the world. The band went on a temporary hiatus before reuniting in 2015.