Friday , March 29 2024

Great White guitarist Added to the Dead

Ty Longley, from Sharon PA, just a short jaunt east from here, has been added to the confirmed dead from the Rhode Island nightclub fire:

    The guitarist’s name was one of 13 added to the list of fatalities on Monday, bringing the number of those killed to 97.

    Longley, who joined Great White in 2000, took to the stage of the Station with his bandmates accompanied by a burst of pyrotechnics, which touched off a blaze that engulfed the venue in less than three minutes.

    Nearly 100 fans were injured and taken to a local hospital in the town of West Warwick. As of Monday, about 80 were still hospitalized, half of those listed in critical condition.

    The 31-year-old Longley was reported missing soon after the event, but his death was not confirmed until today. A native of Sharon, Pennsylvania, the musician was not an original member of Great White during its heyday in the late ’80s and early ’90s, but joined the band on tours three years ago.

    Longley was planning to move in with his pregnant girlfriend, Heidi, after the end of this tour. His family was said to be in shock over the tragedy. They and other families of victims traveled to the site this weekend to grieve over the loss of their loved ones. [E! online]

To me this is still an almost inconceivable tragedy: 97 people killed because of radically poor judgment and no sprinklers in the club.

Longley’s site is here, but it is loading very slowly right now. Great White leader Jack Russell’s site is here.

Blogcritic Sheila Lennon, who is based in Providence, RI is following all events closely at her site here. Our Jim Schwab, who is also in RI, is reporting in depth as well.

About Eric Olsen

Career media professional and serial entrepreneur Eric Olsen flung himself into the paranormal world in 2012, creating the America's Most Haunted brand and co-authoring the award-winning America's Most Haunted book, published by Berkley/Penguin in Sept, 2014. Olsen is co-host of the nationally syndicated broadcast and Internet radio talk show After Hours AM; his entertaining and informative America's Most Haunted website and social media outlets are must-reads: Twitter@amhaunted, Facebook.com/amhaunted, Pinterest America's Most Haunted. Olsen is also guitarist/singer for popular and wildly eclectic Cleveland cover band The Props.

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