Olympique de Marseille paid tribute to Mourad Tsimpou, a Marseille pianist prodigy who died on Saturday at the age of 19 from a rare disease. The young musician had played “Jump” alone on the piano at the Stade Vélodrome five years ago before the OM-Brest match.
It was November 29, 2019 at the Stade Vélodrome. Before the kickoff of the opening match of the 15th day of Ligue 1 between OM and Brest (2-1), a young musician performed “Jump”, the famous hit by Van Halen that accompanies the players’ entrance in Marseille, alone at the piano. His name, Mourad Tsimpou, his age, 15 years old. This Saturday, five years later, the Phocaean city mourns the young Marseille prodigy. The one who was better known under the stage name of Mourad, died Saturday at the age of 19 from a long illness, one of his managers announced to AFP.
He died Saturday morning at the Necker children’s hospital in Paris, from a rare liver disease he had suffered from since childhood, explained Salim Lebghil, one of the two directors of 1392 Records. OM paid tribute to him on social networks: “Mourad Tsimpou is gone. The blue and white people will keep the memory of a boy who expressed like no one else his love for Marseille and OM using his piano.”
Originally from Castellane, like Zidane
Mourad’s musical story began during yet another visit to the Marseille hospital of La Timone. Originally from the city of La Castellane in the northern districts of Marseille, like Zinédine Zidane, he discovered a piano there, having never played it in his life. At 14, he listened to an impromptu by Chopin on the Internet and improvised it. Mourad had “perfect pitch, he played without sheet music”, explains Salim Lebghil. The scene was captured by another patient, who posted it on social networks, arousing incredible enthusiasm.
It was the start of a whirlwind career, two albums, a third in preparation. He collaborated with André Manoukian, the rap star Soprano and for example performed during the Top 14 rugby final in 2021 playing La Marseillaise. He will be buried in the Comoros where his family is from.
