Astroworld Death Toll at Nine, 22-year-old Bharti Shahani Dies After Five Days in ICU

Bharti Shahani (Photo Credit GoFundMe)

Nearly a week after rapper Travis Scott's Astroworld Festival in Houston devolved into a "mass casualty event" that left eight dead and hundreds injured, the death toll continues to climb.

Bharti Shahani, a 22-year-old Texas A&M student, who had previously been declared brain dead after being injured in a deadly crowd surge that began while the singer was on stage, passed away Wednesday according to her family who spoke at a press conference earlier today. 

“She was like an angel to us,” Shahani’s father, Bhagu “Sunny” Shahani, said. “She was the head of the family, she was a very nice girl. Always calm, always listened. She had a bright future. Only thing I’ll request, to the Houstonians, to please, please make sure that she gets justice. And I don’t want somebody else’s daughter to go like this.”

Shahani attended the concert with her sister and cousin, but the trio was separated when waves of fans began surging toward the main stage. Her sister Namrata and cousin Mohit Bellani lost their phones during the event and were not able to locate Shahani, who was rushed to Houston Methodist Hospital while receiving CPR and suffered multiple heart attacks according to her family. 

Bellani told Houston's ABC affiliate that “people started toppling like dominos" during the surge.

"It was like a sinkhole. People were falling on top of each other. There were like layers of bodies on the ground, like two people thick," he said.  "We were fighting to come up to the top and breathe to stay alive.”  

According to Bellani, Shahani lost oxygen for several minutes and because of that, her brain stem got swollen to almost 90 percent.  She was given little chance to live by doctors, as she showed no sign of brain activity and had been placed on a ventilator.

A GoFundMe was set up to cover medical and other expenses for Shahani, who would have graduated in the spring with a degree in electronics systems engineering. She joins John Hilgert (14), Brianna Rodriguez (16), Jacob Jurinek (21),  Franco Patiño (21), Axel Acosta (21), Rudy Peña (23), Madison Dubiski (23) and Danish Baig (27) as those who paid the ultimate price when chaos broke out amongst the estimated crowd of more than 50,000 people that attended the concert.

She may not be the last, however. Nine-year-old Ezra Blout, who was trampled in the melee, is reportedly fighting for his life.

John Coltrane's 'A Love Supreme' Certified Platinum 56 Years After Release

John and Alice Coltrane's son and daughter, Ravi and Michelle

Coltrane, were presented with a platinum plaque in honor of their

father's achievement at The John & Alice Coltrane Home in Dix

Hills, Long Island, N.Y., where John Coltrane composed the

four-part suite.

It took 56 years, but John Coltrane's spiritual jazz masterpiece, "A Love Supreme", has been certified platinum by the RIAA for sales of 1 million albums in the U.S. 

Recorded in one session on Dec. 9, 1964, at Van Gelder Studios in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, with Coltrane's classic quartet – pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Jimmy Garrison, and drummer Elvin Jones —the iconic album is the first jazz LP of the 1960s to achieve platinum status.

Released in 1965 "A Love Supreme" was an instant best-seller for  Impulse! Records and received a Grammy nomination.

"We are thrilled and humbled to witness this incredible milestone in our father's recorded legacy," John's son Ravi said in a statement released by the record company. "I believe both John and Alice would be very proud of this achievement. We take great pride knowing new generations continue to discover this album and that the music continues to speak to their souls."

In celebration of the accomplishment, Impulse! Records/UMe today has released a digital-only collection titled "A Love Supreme: The Platinum Collection," which brings together all commercially released versions of the suite of music. The collection begins with the original album, continues with a live 1965 recording from Antibes, France, followed by the newly released A Love Supreme: Live in Seattle, also recorded in 1965. The package ends with outtakes and alternative takes from the previously released A Love Supreme: The Complete Masters from 2015.

"John Coltrane is one of the most important artists of the 20th century and A Love Supreme, is his masterwork," UMe President & CEO, Bruce Resnikoff, said, "We are thrilled to celebrate this milestone and that the album continues to find new listeners more than five decades after its release."

Christopher Williams Representative Denies Al B. Sure's Claims Cousin is in Coma

When one of the kings of New Jack Swing, Al B. Sure, posted a picture of himself with his cousin, Christopher Williams, on Instagram yesterday, claiming the latter was in a coma it drew an outpouring of support from fans and celebrities alike for Williams, a nephew of jazz icon Ella Fitgerald, who enjoyed success on the R&B charts in the late 1980s and early 1990s with songs like "Talk to Myself,” “I’m Dreamin’,” “Promises, Promises,” and “Every Little Thing You Do.”

"Please pray for my better-looking twin brother in a coma," Sure wrote. 

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The post drew well wishes and calls for prayer from several celebrities, including Big Daddy Kane, Bill Bellamy, MC Lyte, Terry Crews, Melba Moore and many more, but by Tuesday night a statement given by a representative over Williams’ own Instagram account denied the 54-year-old singer was in coma and said he was, "resting comfortably and in stable condition," without further clarifying his medical condition.

The nature of Williams' illness has not been disclosed at this time. 

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