Among the entertainers onboard was the South African cabaret performer, Alvon Collison, who reportedly told a Cape Town Press Club gathering afterwards that he began singing an impromptu repertoire as the ship was sinking, in an effort to keep the passengers' spirits up. In his characteristic style, he managed to weave a comical moment into his narrative of the tumultuous events, telling reporters that he had started singing "American Pie", when he suddenly realised that the next line was going to be "This’ll be the day that I die” - and quickly switched to another song.