Temperatures were well above 100 degrees on Oct. 3 at Anderson Park, the location of the City of Carson Jazz Festival in California. Shari Sanders was in the crowd, waiting for headliner Shelia E. to take the stage.
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As PEOPLE reports, the concertgoer was saving seats for her family when she was found “not responsive.” Someone in the audience performed CPR for 20 minutes before paramedics arrived, but Sanders died in the extreme heat. Her body was left covered in a blanket as the event continued.
Shelia stopped performing after the first song for a moment of silence. The 68-year-old singer of “The Glamorous Life” then dedicated the show to Sanders and her family. Shelia later spoke out about the incident.
Shelia E. Said She Would Have “Never” Gone on Stage if She Knew What Happened
Shelia posted a video on Instagram on Monday, Oct. 5, to talk about what happened at the jazz festival. She expressed her frustration with the City of Carson.
“I would have never, never gotten on stage if I would’ve known that her body was still sitting there with her family surrounding her,” Shelia said. “Production, the city, the mayor was there… All of you guys should have stopped the festival. I’m sorry. You should’ve stopped the festival. This was uncalled for. It made me sick to my stomach when I heard later on that her body did not get taken until after we were off stage.”…