Sudden death of rapper Werenoi, best-selling album in France, at the age of 31

French album sales champion for two years after a meteoric rise, rapper Werenoi died suddenly at the age of 31 on Saturday, May 17, 2025. "Rest in peace my brother," wrote his producer, known under the pseudonym Babs, on the social network X, confirming press reports that the rapper had died in hospital in Paris after a sudden deterioration in his health. The cause of death was not specified.

For his last media appearance last Tuesday, in a video filmed for the Flames ceremony, trophies dedicated to rap and its trends, Werenoi showed himself with his arm in a sling. "I'm disgusted, I couldn't be here tonight. Following a serious injury. But it's only postponed," he stated. He then received the Spotify Flame for best album of the year for "Pyramide 2" , his third album, released last October.

Werenoi has established himself as the artist who sold the most albums in France in both 2023 and 2024, according to figures from the National Syndicate of Phonographic Publishing (Snep).

If, despite this immense success, he is relatively unknown outside of rap fans, it is because he has cultivated a great deal of media discretion. Werenoi has claimed a taste for modesty, reserve and work, which was apparently instilled in him by his Cameroonian family from Montreuil (Seine-Saint-Denis).

Being the best-selling artist, he explained to Le Parisien in January 2024 , "is still a surprise, but it means we did a good job." "We didn't celebrate it. You have to keep your head on your shoulders, in life in general. That's the education I received," he added. "Success came quickly, it's true. It's due, I think, to a lot of work. I practically spend my life in the studio," he confided, when his first title, "Guadalajara" , was released in 2021.

Werenoi displayed a neutral expression and wore sunglasses. The expression of his emotions was reserved for the audience at his concerts. "The rap scene is losing one of its talents," said the Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, in a statement, praising his "discretion (...) in an era of overexposure."

"Through his texts, Werenoi spoke of the streets, the pride, the pain, the hopes too - those of a youth often stigmatized but who do not give up. He proudly carried the colors of his city," wrote the mayor of Montreuil, Patrice Bessac, on Instagram.

Having never left this city, he spoke in the municipal newspaper about his influences on the occasion of the 2024 Urban Cultures Festival . "I was inspired by French rap in general. It's been a passion of mine since I was very young," he said, citing his beginnings on a free scene, Café la Pêche.

Critics praised his talent, combining aggressive rap with catchy melodies, for the catchy tunes and the care given to each song. "A recital that lived up to expectations: full of spleen, ultra-effective productions (by Barbe Noire and Noxious) and melodies that stuck in your brain," wrote Fnac on the occasion of his fourth album, "Diamant noir" , released in April.