Morbid Angel Issue Statement After Roof Collapses At Their Show: 'We Lost A Brother In Metal Last Night'

Tragedy struck at a Morbid Angel concert on Friday night, when a tornado tore through Illinois and ripped through the Apollo Theatre in Belvidere, causing the roof to collapse. One concertgoer, identified as 50-year-old Fred Livingston Jr, passed away, and 40 other punters were injured, The Washington Post reports.

Boone County Emergency Management Director Dan Zaccard said that people in the venue attempted to help Livingston, but "He was under the debris," Zaccard revealed in a press conference the following day. "He was already gone."

260 people were inside the venue when the incident occurred, including fans, staff, the bands and their crews - the Apollo Theatre can hold up to 1,500 people. 

The full lineup was a celebration of death and heavy metal music, with Morbid Angel, Revocation, Crypta, and Skeletal Remains due to rock the stage - the latter were performing at the time. The rest of the concert was cancelled due to unsafe conditions.

"We are currently sheltering in place, and want to extend our support and hope that everyone at the show tonight is safe,” Morbid Angel wrote on Facebook that night. “Right now our focus is on making sure everyone in the venue tonight is ok and gets home.”

In a new social media post, the Florida death metallers wrote, “On behalf of Morbid Angel, we want to first and foremost send our deepest and heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the individual who tragically lost their life last night in the venue roof collapse due to heavy winds from a Tornado.

“We lost a brother in Metal last night, and many were hurt and injured in this tragedy,” the statement continued. 

“We would like to express how truly thankful we are for those in attendance (Fans, Venue Staff, Bands and Crew) that assisted with getting people out and to safety. We want to thank the First responders (Fire, EMT, Police) that were on the scene quickly and were able to help in getting people out of the venue and to hospitals for treatment as quickly as possible. 

"YOU ARE THE TRUE HEROES!” 

Following Morbid Angel’s post, Livingston Jr’s niece, Brittany Mills, left a tribute and revealed that the family had started a GoFundMe campaign for help getting through a heartbreaking time. “Our family is beyond devastated. We can’t help comprehend how this could happen to us. Please share and donate if you can,” Mills wrote. 

The band shared the post with their heartfelt condolences. The Livingston family’s $20,000 goal has been beaten, with the GoFundMe for Fred currently sitting at over $33,000 USD.