Coachella Worker Falls To His Death While Setting Up Stage

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Migos perform onstage during the 2018 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Field on April 22, 2018 in Indio, California.
The stagehand died on Saturday while setting up for the festival which begins this weekend.

A long-time employee of Coachella died this weekend while setting up for the festival. A stagehand for the festival was helping set up the grounds for this weekend's launch of Coachella 2019. The man was reportedly climbing up the stage scaffolding to do some rigging before falling to the ground. The festival worker fell about 60 feet to the ground without any harness, cables or anything that could've saved him.

Police confirmed a call was made at 9:30 a.m. PT reporting an industrial accident at the Coachella Festival grounds for an individual who fell from the staging area. Police and the fire department responded to the call but the man was already pronounced dead by the time they arrived. Police are still investigating the exact reason for his death.

Goldenvoice, the company that puts on Coachella, issued a statement about the individual who passed away. 

"Today, Goldenvoice lost a colleague, a friend, a family member. Our friend fell while working on a festival stage. It is with heavy hearts and tremendous difficulty that we confirm his passing. He has been with our team for 20 years in the desert and was doing what he loved. He was a hard-working and loving person that cared deeply about his team. As our lead rigger, he was responsible for the countless incredible shows that have been put on at the festival. We will miss him dearly."

Coachella Weekend One goes from April 12-14. Childish Gambino, Ariana Grande, and Tame Impala will headline both weekends.


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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