According to authorities, a 36-year-old man unfortunately his away after falling during a music festival in Colorado that was presented by the Australian rock group King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard.
According to The Mountain Mail and the Ark Valley Voice, Chaffee County Coroner Jeff Graff identified the victim as Denver resident Mathew Gawiak.
According to Westword, the event happened on Friday, August 15, on the first night of the King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard’s Field of Vision festival at Meadow Creek in Buena Vista.
According to The Mountain Mail, Chaffee County Sheriff Andy Rohrich stated that a fatality investigation is still underway.
Graff informed the publication that processing toxicology tests for the autopsy may take six to eight weeks.
PEOPLE’s requests for comment were not immediately answered by the Chaffee County Coroner or the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office.
The band issued a statement expressing their sympathies to Gawiak’s family and friends upon his loss.
In a statement released to PEOPLE on Wednesday, August 20, the band wrote, “We are extremely saddened to share that on Friday night a member of our community passed away due to an unexpected medical event despite the best efforts of emergency teams.”
We offer our sympathies and love to their friends, family, and everyone else affected by this loss. The statement went on to say, “We are deeply appreciative of the kindness and care shown by so many and are reminded in times like these of the importance of showing up for one another.”
The band honored Gawiak’s passing and sang two songs in his honor on the last night of the festival.
Allison Zangle, Gawiak’s wife, has established a GoFundMeto account pay for the funeral costs. Over $50,000 has been raised by the campaign by Wednesday, August 20.
She wrote on the GoFundMe page that Matt was a devoted and adored husband, son, brother, uncle, and friend. He was my dearest friend and the love of my life. He was also the most sincere and compassionate person I have ever encountered. Playing guitar, camping, skiing, traveling, cooking, live music, and most importantly, sharing these experiences with those he loved were among his hobbies.
In addition, Zangle mentioned that Gawiak had a master’s degree and was a geospatial scientist who devoted his life to making people happy.
Knowing that he was surrounded by music and a community that held special meaning for him, and that he was genuinely content in the few moments of his untimely death, brings me some peace, she continued.
