May 29, 2024

Travis Scott announces he’ll cover funeral costs for victims of Astroworld tragedy

Jacob Jurinek, Franco Patino and Danish Baig.
Jacob Jurinek, Franco Patino and Danish Baig. (Provided to CNN)

Here’s what we know about the eight people who died at the Astroworld Festival in Houston on Friday night:

John Hilgert, 14

John was a freshman at Memorial High School in Houston, Spring Branch Independent School District spokesperson Terry Abbott told CNN.

Memorial High School Principal Lisa Weir sent a letter Saturday to parents at the school, informing them of the death.

“We are deeply saddened to inform you that a male ninth grade student died … in an incident at the Astroworld Festival. Our hearts go out to the student’s family and to his friends and our staff at Memorial. This is a terrible loss, and the entire MHS family is grieving today,” Weir’s letter reads.

Brianna Rodriguez, 16

Brianna was a junior at Heights High School in Houston, according to a verified GoFundMe account established by her family.

“Dancing was her passion and now she’s dancing her way to heaven’s pearly gates,” the fundraising post says.

Franco Patino, 21

Patino, a senior at the University of Dayton, was studying mechanical engineering technology and human movement biomechanics, according to a statement from the university.

He was a member of Alpha Psi Lambda, a Hispanic-interest fraternity, the statement said, and was originally from Naperville, Illinois.

“He was loved by so many because of the loyal, loving, selfless, protective, funny, and caring person he was,” his family said in a statement. “Even though he was a hardworking individual, he would always try to make time for his family and the people he cared about. We will miss the big heart Franco had and his passion for helping others.”

Danish Baig, 27

Baig, from Euless, Texas, died trying to save his fiancée, who was getting stomped on and hit in the crowd surge at the concert, his brother Basil Baig told CNN Sunday.

His family said he was an amazing person who loved with all his heart.

“People would admire him for who he was,” Basil Baig told CNN.

Basil Baig said his brother’s fiancée survived but is bruised all over her body and is traumatized.

Jacob Jurinek, 20

Jurinek was a junior studying journalism at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, the school said.

In the release, SIU Chancellor Austin Lane said Jurinek “was a creative, intelligent young man, with a promising career in journalism and advertising.”

Rodolfo Peña, 23 

Peña lived in Laredo, Texas and studied at Laredo College, according to his Facebook page. 

His older brother Guadalupe Peña set up a verified GoFundMe account for funeral expenses.

“I am starting a go fund me for my youngest brother (Rodolfo Angel Peña)’s passing please donate out of heart anything is great,” the online fundraising post reads.

Peña was 23, according to CNN affiliate KTRK, which spoke with his sister.

Unknown victim, early 20s

The identity of one of the victims who previously had been unknown by authorities has been determined, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner told CNN Sunday.

The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences released a statement Sunday asking for assistance in identifying a man in his early 20s with “short black or dark brown wavy hair” and “a slight mustache with a noticeable goatee.”

“That person has been identified, and contact has been made with his family,” Turner said.

CNN’s Keith Allen, Rosa Flores, Andy Rose, Caroll Alvarado and Melissa Alonso contributed to this report. 

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