Coachella stagehand dies during setup, police say

Festivalgoers during the 2018 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Field last April in Indio, Calif. (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images for Coachella)

A California man died Saturday while setting up one of the stages for next weekend’s Coachella Music Festival, police said.

Public Information Officer Benjamin Guitron with the Indio Police Department confirmed to Fox News that an unidentified male died Saturday in an “industrial accident” related to the setup of a stage arrangement for the famous music fest, which is set to take place over the weekends of April 12 and 19. The list of performers for this year's iteration of the fest includes Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande, Childish Gambino, Chvrches, Khalid, Gucci Gang, Zedd and Weezer, among many others.

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Police responded Saturday morning to a report that a stagehand at the Empire Polo Club in Riverside County, Calif., had gotten hurt while working on one of the stage setups. Medical personnel tended to the man on the scene, but he died as a result of his injuries.

Because of the circumstances of the man’s death, officials contacted the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) which has taken the lead in the investigation.

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Goldenvoice, which puts Coachella in Indio each year, said in a statement the man was a lead rigger who died in a fall while working on a stage on festival grounds at the Empire Polo Club. The statement did not identify him by name but said he had been on the Coachella team for 20 years.

The statement said all at Coachella are "grieving this loss." It said the worker was "doing what he loved."

An autopsy report will be conducted by the Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office. A victim ID awaits family notifications.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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