In 2013, his hit "L'Amour" remained for 16 consecutive weeks at the top of the most listened to French songs in Quebec.
Quebec artist Karim Ouellet died Monday at the age of 37, announced the media Radio-Canada and La Presse.
His body was found, lifeless, in his home in Quebec and an investigation was opened to determine the causes of his death.
So far, nothing has filtered.
“We confirm that an investigation is underway into the death of Mr. Karim Ouellet.
We cannot give more details at this stage,” the coroner's office only indicated on Tuesday to the La Presse site, specifying that once the investigation is complete, the investigation report will be made public.
Karim Ouellet was born in 1984 in Dakar, Senegal and was adopted when he was very young, with his sister, by a couple living in Quebec.
The latter, Sarahmée, is a rapper living in Montreal and has just released her third album.
The singer had a great success during the release in 2012 of his second album, "Fox", whose title "Love" propelled him to the top of the charts.
“His songs will continue their journey from our hearts to our ears”
His album, which has sold more than 33,000 copies according to Radio Canada, notably won the Juno prize for the French-speaking album in 2014 and the Belgian artist Stromae had opened some of his first parties in France to him. In 2016, Karim Ouellet had also visited the premises of the Parisian, for an acoustic cover of his tube. Away from the media scene for several years, he was working, according to his sister, interviewed last summer by La Presse, on a new album. "I'm back baby (I'm back baby)", he had only tweeted, in 2020, before plunging back into silence.
The mayor of Quebec City, Bruno Marchand, paid him a vibrant tribute on Twitter.
“His songs will continue their journey from our hearts to our ears for many years to come, carrying with them all the passion of a local man who will have left his mark on our culture.
To you, dear Karim, passionate, I wish you a good trip, ”he wrote.
His songs will continue their journey from our hearts to our ears for many more years, carrying with them all the passion of a local man who will have left his mark on our culture.
To you, dear Karim, passionate, I wish you a good trip.🤍 https://t.co/6oKzOHFCVS
— Bruno Marchand (@brunomarchand) January 18, 2022
"My condolences to the family and loved ones of Karim Ouellet, a young artist who brought a new style to Quebec music," also greeted Quebec Premier François Legault.
