Teen dies after collapsing while singing solo in Chicago choir event, family says

Chantal Da Silva
Updated ·2 min read
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Teen dies after collapsing while singing solo in Chicago choir event, family says

A 17-year-old teen died unexpectedly after he collapsed while singing a solo in a choir event in Naperville, Illinois, on Friday, his family and officials said.

Daniel Moshi, a senior at Leyden High School, was performing at the All State Honors Show Choir for the Illinois American Choral Directors Association at Naperville North High School when he collapsed, NBC Chicago reported.

A young man with dark brown hair smiles in a portrait shot in front of the Chicago skyline. HE's wearing a white T-shirt under a red and orange striped button down. (Courtesy of Moshi family / WMAQ)
A young man with dark brown hair smiles in a portrait shot in front of the Chicago skyline. HE's wearing a white T-shirt under a red and orange striped button down. (Courtesy of Moshi family / WMAQ)

“They told us that while he was doing his solo, he just passed out,” his mother, Karolin Moshi, told the outlet. “He collapsed and we don’t know anything else.”

The teen's mother said he had seemed fine earlier that day when she dropped him off from school. He had even checked in when he arrived at the Naperville North High School for the choir show, she told NBC Chicago.

“He texted me, ‘Mom, I’m here’ at around five o’clock approximately,” she said. “I texted him, ‘I said everything good?’ I have his text. He said, ‘Yep, all good mom'," she told the outlet.

Then, less than two hours later, the teen's family received a devastating call.

“I got the call from his teacher, musical teacher. And she said there’s an incident,” his father, Loden Moshi, told NBC Chicago.

Naperville fire crews were dispatched to the high school at around 6:18 p.m. for reports of an "unconscious" 17-year-old boy, fire officials told NBC Chicago. The teen was taken to Edwards Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, they said. The Naperville Fire Department did not immediately respond to an overnight request for comment from NBC News.

The cause of death was not immediately clear. The DuPage County coroner's office told NBC News early Wednesday morning it had no updates on an investigation into the cause of death.

A spokesperson for Leyden High School told NBC Chicago that the school's community was grieving Moshi's death.

“This loss impacts our entire Leyden community,” they told NBC Chicago in a statement. “Our students and staff are grieving and our focus is on their well being. We encourage anyone who is struggling to reach out to a trusted adult and our Student Services department is available to provide support. We are also asking everyone to look after each other during this difficult time.” Leyden High School did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News.

Moshi's family said he had planned to attend college next year and had dreams of performing on Broadway.

“I don’t know how to explain it,” his mother said, remembering her son as an “honest, so pure” and “lovable" teenager. “ It’s not easy. It’s not easy for any parent to go through this because we still don’t have answers.”

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com