News & Reviews

BASS: Fan dies, Ornette Coleman collapses on stage at Bonnaroo Music Festival

At last weekend’s Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee, where several top DJs including Sasha & Digweed, the San Francisco Bay Area’s DJ Shadow, and Oakland rapper Boots Riley were scheduled to perform, one fan reportedly died and jazz legend Ornette Coleman collapsed during his performance.

Coleman, 77, who is widely considered a breakthrough artist for his "free jazz" style of improvisation, was taken to a local hospital Sunday and released after being treated for heat exhaustion, according to the Associated Press. Coleman won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize in music for last year’s album "Sound Grammar," while Sasha was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Remixed Recording category in 2005.

Conditions at Bonnaroo, a popular music and camping festival since 2002 that recently has added electronic music acts to its regular fare of rock bands such as the White Stripes, were reportedly hot and dusty. Event organizers had issued a warning before the event about dry conditions "due to the fact that the State of Tennessee is experiencing a severe drought."

The fan who died wasn't named, and officials were investigating whether drugs or heat caused the death.

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