Greek singer Giorgos Mazonakis told fans he loved them and thanked them from his soul during what turned out to be his final concert, according to footage shared on social media, three months before he died of a cardiac arrest on Wednesday, September 9, at the age of 54.
The concert took place on June 10 at the port of Thessaloniki. In the video, Mazonakis is seen performing his song "Paraxeno Me Mena" surrounded by his band before kneeling on the stage, visibly overcome with emotion.
He said he wanted to give a big thank you from his soul, then said he loved the crowd while covering his face with his hand, before running off the stage.
Footage of the farewell
See the video below.
Mazonakis was one of the best-known names in Greek laïko, or popular, music, with a recording and touring career spanning more than three decades.
Cancelled anniversary show
Mazonakis had been due to perform at Technopolis, a cultural venue built on the site of a former gasworks in the Gazi district of Athens, on September 20, to mark 33 years since he began his career. That concert will now not take place.
The anniversary show was the subject of Mazonakis's last social media post, which carried the caption "Giorgooo, you're going on..."
How he died
Mazonakis died after suffering a cardiac arrest at a clinic in Kolonaki, an upscale district of central Athens. The incident took place on the afternoon of Wednesday, September 9, when the singer went to the Stem Cell clinic at 11 Karneadou Street.
According to information available so far, he had booked an appointment for plasmapheresis treatment, a procedure in which plasma is removed from the blood and replaced.
While a venous catheter was being inserted, Mazonakis reportedly felt intense chest pain and shortly afterwards suffered a cardiac arrest. The clinic contacted EKAB, Greece's national emergency medical service, and paramedics were told the singer had suffered a heart attack. The call was logged at 4:21pm.
Emergency response
Seven minutes later, at 4:28pm, an EKAB paramedic reached the clinic by motorcycle and immediately began cardiopulmonary resuscitation. An EKAB ambulance arrived shortly afterwards and took Mazonakis to the nearest hospital on duty, Elpis Hospital, where he arrived at 4:45pm.
Doctors in the emergency department continued resuscitation efforts, but without success. Despite their efforts, his condition proved irreversible and his death was formally confirmed at 5:40pm.
