19yo stagehand killed in accident at A7X show

A 19-year-old stagehand lost his life last night in a tragic accident at an Avenged Sevenfold show in Stuttgart.

The man was killed during load-out at the Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle (15,500-cap.) when another crewman, a 26-year-old, fell on him from 20m (66ft) while taking down the band’s lighting truss. The other man is in critical condition in hospital.

According to Bild, it the first fatal incident at the venue since its opening in 1983. The paper also identifies the victim as ‘Marvin P’.

In a joint statement, Avenged Sevenfold sent their “thoughts and prayers to the man in the hospital, both families involved, all of the local Live Nation crew and everyone else whose lives have been affected by this terrible accident”.

“This is such a stark reminder of how quickly an accident can happen and lives shattered in the process”

“We love our crew so much, as well as the many local staff who are essential to our show every night, wherever we are around the world,” it reads. “This is such a stark reminder of how quickly an accident can happen and lives shattered in the process.”

Support act Disturbed dedicated “the rest of this tour to our fallen brothers”. “The horror and heartbreak felt by everyone on the tour is beyond words,” they wrote on Facebook.

Tonight’s show, at the Mediolanum Forum in Milan, has been cancelled due to illness.

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