What was supposed to be a birthday celebration with musical acts from John Popper of Blues Traveler to Warren Haynes of The Allman Brothers turned tragic when guitarist and singer Colonel Bruce Hampton collapsed onstage and died during the concert.
NPR reported that tragedy occurred on Monday, May 1, during the show "Hampton 70: A Celebration of Col. Bruce Hampton," which was celebrating Hampton's 70th birthday at Fox Theatre in Atlanta.
During the finale of the star-studded concert Hampton, who is regarded as the forefather of the jam band scene, dropped to his knees and fell over a speaker while his fellow rockers as well as the concertgoers were unaware that this was not just a quirky antic.
The Associated Press noted that when he did not get up after moments drummer Jeff Sipe and some of the other musicians in attendance got on the microphone to thank the crowd for coming and said they needed to attend to a matter backstage.
Hampton's family later confirmed his death via Facebook.
In addition, Hampton's bandmate, Jeff Mosier, shared a tearful tribute to his dear friend the following day.