Celebrity singer Rubby Pérez, 69, died after the roof of a nightclub collapsed in the Dominican Republic early on April 8 (local time), where at least 66 people were killed and more than a hundred injured.
The singer's manager, Enrique Paulino, confirmed to Rolling Stone that Rubby Pérez was among the more than 60 people who died in the tragedy that occurred on Monday night. The Dominican artist was performing when the roof of the nightclub collapsed.
Earlier in the day, the family said paramedics found Rubby Pérez struggling to sing under the rubble and he was taken to a local hospital. Rubby's daughter, Zulinka Pérez, told Noticias Telemicro: "We pray to God that he will recover soon. He was injured but was hospitalized. They found him singing. He sang so that everyone could hear him. He always told me: 'If anything happens to me, cover me so that no one takes pictures.'"
The singer was treated at the Plaza de la Salud hospital and died late on April 8.
According to NBC News, Rubby Pérez performed in front of more than 300 people at a concert in the nightclub. Authorities said the roof collapsed around 1 a.m. on April 8 while Rubby Pérez and the orchestra were performing on stage. The accident killed at least 66 people and injured more than 150, while dozens are still missing.
"We hope that many people are still alive, and the authorities will not give up their rescue efforts until there is no one left under the rubble," said Juan Manuel Méndez, director of the Emergency Operations Center.
The cause of the collapse of the Jet Set nightclub is not yet clear, but the owners said they are "cooperating with the authorities to support the victims and clarify the incident."
Among the dead were Montecristi Governor Nelsy Cruz, a saxophonist who performed with Pérez on stage, and baseball players Octavio Dotel and Tony Blanco.
Rubby Pérez, whose real name is Roberto Antonio Pérez Herrera, was born on March 8, 1956, in Bajos de Haina, Dominican Republic. He studied at the Santo Domingo Conservatory of Music and has pursued a musical career that has spanned over four decades. Rubby is a renowned Merengue artist - a traditional music and dance genre in the Dominican Republic. He is known by the nickname "La voz más alta del merengue" (The highest voice of merengue).