Barış Akarsu was a Turkish Anatolian rock singer and actor who rose to fame after winning the television series Akademi Türkiye in July 2004. He released two studio albums in three years and was also acting in television series Yalancı Yarim which aired on Star TV.
On June 29, 2007, he was seriously injured in a car crash on his way back from a charity concert for children. After spending five days in an intensive care unit, he died of complications from the crash on July 4, 2007, at the age of 28. He donated most of his concert money.