Travis Scott's offer to pay for 9-year-old Astroworld victim's funeral denied by family
Ezra Blount was the 10th and youngest person to die as a result of the crowd surge at the 2021 Astroworld Festival
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The family of 9-year-old Ezra Blount, who died after suffering injuries during Travis Scott’s deadly Astroworld Festival performance, has rejected the performer’s offer to pay for his funeral expenses.
Blount died on Nov. 14 after being placed in a medically induced coma due to severe damage to his vital organs suffered after he was reportedly trampled during a crowd surge at the Nov. 5 show. He is the youngest of the ten victims who have died as a result of the concert.
In a letter obtained by Fox News Digital from the Blount family’s attorney Robert Hilliard that was addressed to Scott’s lawyer, Daniel Petrocelli, it is made clear that Scott’s offer to cover the funeral expenses is being "declined."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I have no doubt Mr. Scott feels remorse. His journey ahead will be painful," the letter reads. "He must face and hopefully see that he bears some of the responsibility for this tragedy. There may be, and I hope there is, redemption and growth for him on the other side of what this painful process will be"
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This photo provided by Taylor Blount shows Ezra Blount, 9, posing outside the Astroworld music festival in Houston on Nov. 5, 2021. Ezra has become the youngest person to die from injuries sustained during a crowd surge at the Astroworld music festival. (Courtesy of Taylor Blount via AP)
Scott was performing at the music festival he founded when the crowd reportedly surged resulting in ten deaths and many injuries. He has since been named in several lawsuits stemming from those who were injured or died as a result of the show, including one from the Blount family.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}One day after Ezra’s funeral, the family was contacted by Petrocelli who offered to pay for the expenses.
"Travis is devastated by the tragedy that occurred at the Astroworld Festival and grieves for the families whose loved ones died or were injured. Travis is committed to doing his part to help the families who have suffered and begin the long process of healing in the Houston community. Toward that end, Travis would like to pay for the funeral expenses for Mr. Blount’s son," the letter reads.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Travis Scott performs during 2021 Astroworld Festival at NRG Park on November 05, 2021 in Houston, Texas. (Erika Goldring/WireImage via Getty Images)
Although Petrocelli stated that accepting the funeral money would not impact any legal proceedings, the Blount family still opted to decline the offer, asking instead for Scott to "respect" that his "devastation" over the tragedy does not compare to the loss of the family’s 9-year-old son.
He compared the grief the family is experiencing to "a faucet of unimaginable pain that has no off handle."
"As a parent, Treston cannot help but agonize over the terrible idea that Ezra’s last minutes were filled with terror, suffering, suffocation and worst of all surrounded by strangers, his dad unconscious underneath the uncontrolled crowd," Hilliard’s letter added.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He also noted to Rolling Stone that the family had previously rejected offers from Scott to meet with the family personally.
"We were pretty firm. With all due respect, no. This isn’t a photo-op story here. This is a "who’s responsible and why" type of investigation. And he’s on the short list," he concluded.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Festival goers head into the VIP area prior to Travis Scott performing during day one of the Astroworld Music Festival at NRG Park on Friday, Nov. 5, 2021, in Houston. ( Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File)
The rapper, whose real name is Jacques Bermon Webster, announced in a press release following the incident that he was reaching out to all the victims in an effort to cover medical expenses as well as any mental health resources that they may need.
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Treston Blount attended Astroworld with his son, Ezra. When Scott’s performance began, Ezra was sitting on his dad’s shoulders. When the crowd surged and got too packed together, Treston says he passed out, resulting in his son falling to the ground where he was trampled by the out-of-control crowd.