Middle-Aged Man Dies Attempting to Dance “Gangnam Style”

Psy, the Korean pop artist, spent 30 sleepless nights developing a new dance for his eager fans, and came up with the horse-riding dance made famous in his video “Gangnam Style.” The video has garnered nearly a billion views, surpassing Justin Bieber’s “Baby,” making it the most watched video in YouTube history. Nevertheless, the video might come with a “Don’t try this at home” warning, at least for middle-aged men, as a man has died attempting the vigorous dance.

Eamonn Kilbride, 46, father of three, suffered a heart-attack while attempting the dance at his wife’s birthday party. His wife of 23 years refers to him as having been “the life of the party.” She said he had taken the stage dancing “Gangnam Style” and “entertaining everybody” but complained of “a bit of pain and just collapsed.”

In warning middle aged men who are a bit out of shape, Professor Bernard Keavney, a consultant cardiologist at Newcastle University explains that “the chance that you’ll come to grief is very small. But as with any form of untypical exercise that you’re not used to taking, be somewhat measured. Let the lady dance around you.

“I certainly wouldn’t say that people need to avoid “Gangnam Style” over the holidays. [But] if you’re unused to taking vigorous physical exercise, you shouldn’t throw yourself into violent exertion without due preparation.”

The video will nevertheless undoubtedly continue to inspire imitations. It achieved 500,000 views on its first day, and has mushroomed since then.