A horrific crash in Arizona has left four people dead, including both members of the musical duo Her’s.
Stephen Fitzpatrick, 24, Audun Laading, 25, and their tour manager Trevor Engelbrektson, whose age is not known, died in the fiery accident on Interstate 10 in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety told CNN that the crash happened around 1 a.m. when a pickup truck and the band’s van collided head-on. The driver of the truck, Francisco Edward Rebollar, 64, was also killed.
The BBC quotes U.S. authorities as saying the crash was caused by “a wrong-way driver,” shortly after the Arizona Department of Public Safety received reports of a vehicle driving on the wrong side of the road.
Her’s was just finishing up a U.S. tour when they died. Their last two stops were Santa Ana and San Diego. The band’s official Instagram account posted a poignant message: “It’s almost home time for the lads, US tour has gone swimmingly so far.”
Fitzpatrick and Laading met as students at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts. They had just debuted their latest album, “Invitation To Her’s,” last year.
The band’s label Heist or Hit remembered them on Facebook: “Their energy, vibrancy and talent came to define our label. As humans, they were warm, gentle and hilarious… To say they were close would be an underestimation of a friendship that was genuinely beautiful to witness; they loved one another like brothers.”
The post went on, “Musically, Her’s were astonishing. An aptitude for melody, fun, and entertainment combined with a complexity that was as sophisticated as it was stylish. They were in America playing to thousands of adoring fans. Fans they made a point of meeting and spending time with, such was their passion and humbleness. The world was at their feet.”