Indian standup comic Manjunath Naidu collapsed and died on stage in Dubai, while performing for an audience on Friday. According to reports, the 36-year-old comedian was performing for a packed audience on Friday evening at Signature hotel, when he complained of high anxiety and sat down on the bench next to him on the stage, and immediately collapsed onto the floor. However, the audience thought it as a part of his set, since it was just minutes after he began his act, where he spoke about how he suffers from anxiety.
His partner Grace Chng confirmed on Facebook, "Manjunath Naidu my partner, one of the most amazing standup comedian, incredible improviser, and great person with a big heart, has passed away on stage, doing what he loves best, making people laugh."
"Right up to his last moment, I and many others thought it was an act. He had a cardiac arrest during the performance ... he was surrounded by a great audience, loved ones. He will be in our memory as Mango, and as the man who touched the lives of countless people. He changed my life and I became a comedian and improviser that he thought I was meant to be," she added.
Miqdaad Dohadwala, Manjunath’s friend and fellow comedian, told Khaleej Times that Manjunath was the last comedian to perform in the line-up and he was talking about his family. He also said that around a minute after Manjunath started talking about how he suffers from anxiety, he collapsed and added that the paramedics could not revive him and he died of cardiac arrest.
A PR manager, Sana Topiwala, told the Gulf News that the comedy programme started around 9.30 pm and Manjunath came onto the stage around 11.20 pm. Some eyewitness also told the news organisation that it was only after three minutes of no movement from Manjunath that some other comics and hotel staff rushed to the stage and administered CPR. The paramedics then took him to Al Zahra Hospital Barsha and tried resuscitating him. However it was too late to revive him.
Manjunath Naidu was born in Abu Dhabi but later shifted base to Dubai. He is a well-known comedian in the UAE stand-up circuit and has been performing for over five years. Manjunath’s final rituals will take place on Monday.