Man Found Dead at Bonnaroo Campgrounds
- Posted on Jun 18th 2009 11:15AM by Dan Reilly
- Comments (89)
Though it initially seemed liked Bonnaroo 2009 went off without a hitch, Tennessee police have reported that the dead body of a man was found at the site's campgrounds. The corpse was found by the festival's cleaning crew on Tuesday. So far, no cause of death has been reported, while an autopsy is pending.The man, reportedly in his twenties, was last seen alive on Monday, June 15, at 3PM CT, according to the police. They have yet to identify him though it's speculated he was from the Fort Payne area of Alabama. Coffee County Sheriff Steve Graves said there were no signs of foul play, meaning that cause of death was mostly likely drugs or a medical condition.
"All we know is that he was alive yesterday (Monday) at 3 pm," Graves told the Shelbyville Times-Gazette. "We don't know if he was a worker or someone who just lingered. He looked to be in his 20s, maybe late 20s. It's hard to tell."
According to the newspaper, this is the seventh death in the festival's eight-year history. Two were related to automobiles, with a worker dying after being ejected from a truck and a fan being hit by bluegrass musician Ricky Skaggs' tour bus. Two people passed away in 2004, from drug overdoses, and a man died in 2005, from unspecified causes (he was alleged to have sleep apnea but also had drugs in his system). Graves said that arrests were down by a third this year, though summonses were up by 60 percent. The results of the autopsy are expected soon.





Reader Comments(1 of 5)
dchamner3at 6-18-2009
You need at least one death and\or birth at a huge festival like this. (Sorry guy) Personally, I just had a super-drunk guy fall into my tent as I slept...not so bad comparatively.
kwyjibo2011at 6-19-2009
erykah badu, public enemy, snoop dogg, etc... there is rap at bonnaroo. so, it is there. but it's still music.
kwyjibo2011at 6-19-2009
oh man, i clicked the wrong reply link. now everyone with a keyboard is going to tell me how stupid i am.
jeanat 6-20-2009
LOL...!!!!!.now that's a new one....SUPER DRUNK.....I like that...I'll have to use it sometimes....LOL
nastywetotterat 6-20-2009
Was he cute?
tolchocksat 6-20-2009
The only thing that happened to me was I got Super-Drunk and fell into someone's tent while they were sleeping.
tbyhat 6-18-2009
It wasn't a Grateful Dead concert...?
bykrdonnaat 6-18-2009
There is no Grateful Dead! No Jerry, No Dead~
ptowngamyat 6-19-2009
I will agree with you on that one. Jerry is dead, so is grateful dead. Jerry kept them together. I love the grateful dead. My fav of all times. And hearing bout this news makes me wonder What happen to the love???? Someone had to know he was near death, why didnt anyone around care enough to get him help. This new wave of "hippie" are in it for the wrong reason. Look out for one another when you are having a good time. You would want the same in return.
wyrdotterat 6-20-2009
"Someone had to know he was near death, why didnt anyone around care enough to get him help."
Not necessarily. It's quite possible to die of a "silent" sudden-death heart attack. No symptoms, no fuss, no noise. You just keel over or doze off where you are and by the time someone notices you're not just snoozing, it's too late to resuscitate you.
Deadat 6-18-2009
tbyh....No.... it wasn't a Grateful Dead concert. **rolls eyes**
houseosimsat 6-18-2009
Concert + Young Person + Drugs = Death. Nothing much changed in 40 years except the music.
xxanthony420xxat 6-19-2009
ive gotta agree with that. im only 17 but from as much as i know the only difference between today and then is the music thats played. shit when i was in a band doin shows i used to drop acid and go on stage haha just like jimi hendrix at woodstock
momnotmrsat 6-18-2009
Enough with the pix of performers! I'd love to see more of the audience!
From Now On STS9at 6-18-2009
he was probably just a wookie, living the wookie life, maybe thats how he wanted to go out, you never know. Hopefully nobody dies at Rothbury, its highly possible though, everyone in the venue pushing their limits without any concern for their well being.....Remember kids, drink plenty of water if you are a spunion!
AKatanaat 6-18-2009
TAKE AWAY FLAVOR FAVE AND THE BEASTIE BOYS AND IT SEEMS BONNAROO HAS HAD A GREAT LINE-UP OF ARTISTS, SO PEOPLE MAKING THE "CRAP MUSIC" KILLED THE GUY COMMENTS NEED TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK
Kitat 6-19-2009
Hold on a sec, how can you dis one of the most infuential groups, one of the first to come out and mix hip hop and rock as their staple, not just for one song. Even if you dont like the Beasty Boys you have to respect them for their ambition and just how long they have stuck around.
bza10bat 6-19-2009
whats wrong with flaver flave i mean yea hes a washed up crack head but you have to give it to him i mean come on public enemy was cuting edge and they were big in there day and beastie boys well they can have gray hair and wrinkles but they were the first main stream white boys to pierce the hip hop comunity and they have respect from black people they paved the way for for every white raper you can name witch all suck in comparrison i mean come on would you rather vanilla ice have been there who was a frut cake or m&m hes a joke you know who is the shiz snow the white canadian reagge rapin/r&b boi hes sick
sammyveraloverat 6-19-2009
Beastie boys were one of the best there!
tommuskegonat 6-18-2009
Yeah Rothbury sponsor's should be proud. They lost a male,and female last year to drug overdoses. What a great example, to the young kid's that attend Rothbury. Seems Oceanna County is more interested in the $$$$$, than making sure everyone stay's alive. With those types of crowd's, ther is NO WAY to stop rampant drug usage.The Sandy Corley festival, has had no one die from any alcohol,or drugs. It takes place on the same grounds. But that is beacues the older crowds know how NOT to die,over stupid drug overdoses. I can just imagine how many will die this year at Rothbury. Dont get me wrong,this concert is a great thing,just the drugs are rampant,and should not be tolerated. Ruins everything""">