Olympique de Marseille paid tribute to Mourad Tsimpou, a Marseille prodigy pianist who died on Saturday at the age of 19 following a rare illness. The young musician played “Jump” alone on the piano at the Vélodrome stadium five years ago before the OM-Brest match.
It was November 29, 2019 at the Vélodrome stadium. Before the kick-off of the opening match of the 15th day of Ligue 1 between OM and Brest (2-1), a young musician performed “Jump”, the famous Van Halen hit which accompanies the entry of the players in Marseille, alone at the piano. His name, Mourad Tsimpou, his age, 15 years old. This Saturday, five years later, the Marseille city mourns the young Marseille prodigy. The man who was better known under the stage name Mourad died on 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 Timone hospital. Originally, like Zinédine Zidane, from the city of Castellane in the northern districts of Marseille, he discovered a piano there, having never played it in his life. He was 14, listened to an impromptu Chopin on the Internet and reproduced it while improvising. Mourad had “absolute pitch, he played without a score”, explains Salim Lebghil. The scene was captured by another patient, who posted it on social networks, sparking 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.
