Fundraising page launched to support family of man killed at Morbid Angel show

An serial shot shot showing the damage to the roof of the Apollo Theater in Belvidere, Illinois

The damaged roof of the Apollo Theater in Belvidere, Illinois (Image credit: ABC 7 Chicago)

A GoFundMe page has been launched to support the family of the man killed when a tornado ripped the roof off the Apollo Theater in Belvidere, Illinois, during a Morbid Angel show on Friday night. The fan has been identified as 50-year-old Frederick Forest Livingston, Jr.

Writing on the GoFundMe page, Livingston Jr.'s niece Brittany Mills wrote, "It is with great sorrow that we have to share the unexpected passing of Fred Livingston Jr. On March 31st, a tragic event at the Apollo Theater in Belvidere, Illinois led to the loss of a great man. Fred was an amazing man that leaves behind his three sons, Alex, Fred III, and Shane, along with the rest of his family that cared about him deeply.

"Our family still cannot comprehend this unexpected tragedy and we are asking for donations to help with the costs that come along with losing a family member. On behalf of our family, we greatly appreciate any support that can be offered to help get us through this tough time."

Morbid Angel shared the GoFundMe page on social media, saying, "We want to personally send our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of our deceased brother in Metal, Fred Livingston Jr."

Livingston Jr. was killed when a tornado hit the building, causing a section of the 100-year-old building's roof to collapse onto the crowd below. 40 people were injured.

One of the fans at the show, Christina Johnson, told the New York Times that staff had been ushering people into the venue's basement for their safety before the tornado struck, and was standing by the merchandise table when the roof collapsed.

"I saw people lifting the roof off of people, and I saw people getting dragged out,” Johnson said.

Local police chief Shane Woody told the Chicago Tribune that the scene was, "Chaos. Absolute chaos. When first responders got there, they tried to control the chaos as best as possible. We tried to go in and save as many people as we possibly can and bring them to safety as best as we can.”

A candlelit vigil for Livingston Jr. was due to be held at the Apollo Theater last night. The building has now been condemned. At the time of writing, more than $30,000 had been raised by the GoFundMe campaign.

Online Editor at Louder/Classic Rock magazine since 2014. 40 years in music industry, online for 27. Also bylines for: Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, The Word Magazine, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Saga, Music365. Former Head of Music at Xfm Radio, A&R at Fiction Records, early blogger, ex-roadie, published author. Once appeared in a Cure video dressed as a cowboy, and thinks any situation can be improved by the introduction of cats. Favourite Serbian trumpeter: Dejan Petrović.