The Man Who Loved Himself Llançà – Empordà

Drugs killed major music stars Jimi Hendrix died of an overdose of sleeping pills and alcohol. Janis Joplin on heroin. Kurt Cobain, for a combination of horse and diazepam. Michael Jackson, due to propofol and benzodiazepine poisoning. Unfortunately, the list could go on. A stigma that always raises suspicions about the premature loss of an artist. What a great injustice, because this chakra affects all classes of society.

Like many of you, I remember February 13, 1999. If it were not for the current spread of social networks, the death of Carles Sabater after a concert in Villafranca del Penedes would have been like wildfire. I froze. You can imagine the reason that prompted many media outlets to make this sudden departure. I can't say we were friends, but I knew him well enough to know they were wrong, wrong.

A quarter of a century later, Tarragona journalist Pep Bligh has just published A broken heart, the death and life of Carles Sabater (Folch & Folch) That forever shuts down any rumors. Carles had been suffering from chronic stress for three years, which caused him high blood pressure and circulation problems. His success became a fatal reward.

I still have my first SAO record, I can't stop smoking (1988). Carles had met Pep Sala two years earlier, while he was preparing a pilot program for TV3 which was never broadcast. His family loves Llançà, and through a mutual friend, they got hold of the vinyl. It sounded so good, so British. After his first record company blinded him to his potential, Picap, Joan Carles Doval's label, arrived. It was he who introduced them to me at Plaça de Braus de Figueres, while explaining to me what we would all soon discover: Pep's musical talent and Carles' mastery of spectacle. Many concerts and interviews later, including one in the center of La Rambla or the presentation of the dance version of CharlieEven if they are from a barWe stayed in touch until that tragic summer of 1999.

Thanks to the new book and the upcoming TV report, today we are calmer because we know that Carles Sabater's only addiction was “seduction and falling in love.” Continue to rest in peace, Carlos.