Thousands of Dollars Raised to Support Morbid Angel Roof Collapse Victims

In the immediate aftermath of last Friday’s tragic structural collapse during a Morbid Angel show in Belvidere, Illinois, a pair of GoFundMe pages have been set up to help cover medical and funeral costs for two of the more than 40 individuals affected. Thanks to the kindness of strangers and the metal community working together, at least one of those fundraising attempts not only met their goal, but surpassed them in a big way.

The fundraising efforts were created to support the family of Fred Livingston Jr., the only person to sadly lose their life in the incident, and a woman named Michelle who suffered severe injuries and will be forced to miss work.

According to Livingston’s family, they needed $20,000 to cover funeral costs. Yet in roughly 24 hours, more than 1,200 donations has raised more than $38,000. In response, the family posted an update thanking everyone that chipped in.

Hello everyone, to begin this update, we are speechless. We are so incredibly grateful for all of the kind words, donations, prayers and good thoughts. Your outpouring love has given our family such comfort in knowing we are cared and loved for. That in such a horrible tragedy there has been so much good. These last couple of days have been very difficult for the family and thanks to all of you, you’ve brought some light to a dark and difficult situation.

Thank you to all of our family, friends, the Belvidere community, the Metal community, and to the people from all around the world for the love and support you have shown our family. Words can truly never express how grateful we all are.

Fred made such an impact on all of the people around him. He was loving, selfless, funny and just an all around bad ass. He brought so much love and laughter to our family. The memories we all have will never be forgotten and will forever be in our hearts.

Please continue to keep our family in your thoughts as we navigate this difficult time. We will update everyone as soon as we figure out arrangements and services.

As for the other fundraiser set up for Michelle, her family said she “broke her spine and 10 ribs, [and has a] huge laceration on the back of her head.” Since she’ll be out of work for a good amount of time, the family is seeking to raise $35,000 to cover medical bills and to help cover rent while she’s unable to work. So far, 736 donations have raised just over $26,000 for Michelle.

Last Friday, the roof and floor of the Apollo Theatre in Belvidere, Illinois collapsed while in the middle of a show featuring Morbid Angel, Revocation, Crypta, and Skeletal Remains. They were in between sets when a tornado ripped through the area and caused severe damage to the venue. Sadly, one person was killed in the incident, along with an additional 40 injuries, according to reports from The New York Times.

Morbid Angel later released a statement regarding the incident, thanking everyone who helped others get out of the venue and assisted first responders.

“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. 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 TRUE HEROES!

“At this time our minds continue to remain with all those who were injured and hospitalized, as well as everyone who was effected by the storms in the surrounding area. We truly hope for a fast recovery of all who were injured.

“As a result of the events of last night, we are working to re-scheduling tonight’s show in Joliet, IL to Wednesday April 5th. With that said, our focus remains with the Victims of this terrible storm.”