A week before it's opening day, Coachella 2019 was hit with tragedy.
According to TMZ, a stagehand died Saturday morning while working on a stage at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. Eyewitnesses said the victim was climbing the stage scaffolding before falling 60 feet to his death. It's unclear if the fall was due to a slip or a loss of grip; however, sources said the worker was not clipped into a safety harness as he attempted to do some rigging.
Local authorities confirmed to TMZ they had received a report about the "industrial accident" at around 9:30 Saturday morning. Emergency personnel arrived to the Coachella festival grounds shortly after, but the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
Indio Police spokesperson Ben Guitron said the circumstances surrounding the worker's death are under investigation.
The last Coachella-related death occurred in 2014, when an Oakland woman collapsed and died at a local hospital from a suspected drug overdose.
Coachella 2019 kicks off next weekend, and will feature appearances by Childish Gambino, Ariana Grande, Pusha-T, Kid Cudi, Juice WRLD, Solange, Khalid, Kanye West, and more.
