THE tragic death of a Bahrain-based British musician has highlighted the importance of seeking medical advice before making any major health-related lifestyle changes.
Simon Nicholas Middleton, who went by the stage name Simon Korsak, drowned while swimming in a private pool in Adliya on Thursday afternoon. Cardiopulmonary and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation failed to revive him and paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.
The 51-year-old talented creative, who struck a chord in many a heart in the short time he was in Bahrain, was on a seven-day liquid fast which primarily consists of consuming water with minimal solid food, according to his father, Al Hilal Group Managing Director Ronnie Middleton.
Following the incident, an anguished Mr Middleton is urging people to ensure medical supervision while contemplating any dietary changes.
“Simon was on a seven-day liquid fast, but not under medical supervision. This tragedy could have been avoided,” he said.
While there are benefits to a water fast such as weight loss, blood sugar control and reduced stress levels, the practice also poses potential risks like dehydration, dizziness and a sudden drop in blood pressure.
“He was a wonderful guy and very talented who touched many people with his music,” added Mr Middleton.
“He was also very fluent in a number of languages, such as Spanish, French, Portuguese, and had he continued to live in Bahrain I am sure he would become fluent in Arabic too.
“We were glad when Simon returned to Bahrain and we got to spend time with him.”
The songwriter lived in Spain before returning to the kingdom last year following a previous visit in 2017.
While here, he was involved in the family restaurant business and also pursued his passion for music.
The music fraternity in Bahrain is united in grief, mourning the sudden loss of Mr Simon Middleton, whose life was a vibrant melody of creativity, connection and profound kindness, cut short by the heartbreaking accident that has left a void felt deeply by family, friends, fellow musicians and fans.
One of his recent performances was in April this year, where he jammed with fellow creative talents Denver Awa and Josh Dinkler at the kingdom’s popular cultural hub Market Street Bahrain in Umm Al Hassam.
His compositions spanned folk-style and rock’n’roll.
Teary-eyed sister Olivia Middleton, who was in Greece when the incident happened and is flying back to Bahrain today with her husband Stefan Marque, fondly reminisced about her brother and their conversations.
“I’ve been speaking to so many different people over the last few days, and the one thing that everyone remembers was that Simon always held space for every single person, whether it was a stranger or somebody that he had known for years. Every conversation was full of kindness and empathy,” noted the Adliya resident, who has had a front-row seat to her brother’s performances, including many with her musician husband.
Highlighting the artist’s legacy, the 41-year-old designer and entrepreneur said: “He was a fire of inspiration to all those he met on stage and created music with. He created connections through his writing.
“One thing that I know is that he always wanted to ensure that his songs and his writing were there as ‘letters of comfort’ and a guide. He lived his life to his own truth and he did it with an open heart.”
In a previous report in GulfWeekly, GDN’s sister paper, Mr Simon Middleton had said that his songs portray ‘spiritual messages, and talk a lot about forgiveness, gratitude and letting go’, fostering connection and inspiring listeners to spread positive messages.
The musician was working on some compositions at the time of his death.
“He was working on music with Josh and Denver, who are both very strong in the music community. As a family, we hope to release his music.
“Radio Bahrain have offered to play some of his music as well,” said Ms Middleton.
She added that her brother was also a great uncle to his niece and four nephews.
“He was a great uncle to them and few of his friends’ children, who he shared a deep bond with. We’re so grateful that we got this last year with him and got to watch him grow as a person.”
Cousin Charlie Holding, from Juffair, who works as a communications and public relations professional, says he is lost for words and that Mr Simon Middleton’s death has ‘left a hole in his life’.
“Simon was just an extraordinary person and had a real passion for life. His music was like a channel for the joy that was inside him. He had so much joy and he enjoyed sharing that joy with other people through his music,” added the 40-year-old.
The funeral service will be held tomorrow at 9.30am at St Christopher’s Cathedral in Manama.
Condolences will be received between 9am and 2pm on Wednesday at Villa A3, Yateem Gardens in Adliya.
melissa@gdnmedia.bh
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