Live Nation executive Theresa Velasquez was one of the nearly 100 individuals who perished in the Surfside condo collapse last month, officials have confirmed.
The former Sony Music marketing professional Theresa Velasquez joined Live Nation in 2015 and held multiple executive roles (including SVP of strategic partnerships) at the entertainment company. Based in California, the 36-year-old was visiting her parents at the time of the collapse, and as rescue efforts began, Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino voiced support for Velasquez and for the broader Surfside community.
“Keeping Theresa Velasquez in our thoughts, one of @LiveNation’s own, and a beloved friend, daughter, sister, and co-worker. Sending love to everyone in Surfside – we need miracles tonight,” wrote Rapino.
Authorities had previously confirmed that the former SFX Entertainment exec’s parents had passed in the condo collapse, and Miami-Dade Police recently revealed in a tweet that Velasquez’s body had been recovered on Thursday, July 8th. A number of social-media users are offering kind words and celebrating the life of Theresa Velasquez, while a GoFundMe campaign for Velasquez’s family has raised north of $53,000 thus far.
Additionally, some are speculating that Velasquez was the woman who reports revealed had been in contact with rescuers about 10 hours after the collapse. “Am wondering if she was the one who was trapped on [the] other side of [the] garage wall that first responders were talking to those first few hours? Apparently she said she was with her parents and stuck between two beds. But they sadly couldn’t get to her,” penned one such person.
An unidentified female had shouted for help and explained to first responders that she and her parents were trapped beside a bed and other debris, according to a local report. The rescue team encountered multiple obstacles when attempting to save the woman, the report continues, and was ultimately forced to shift its focus to other parts of the 12-story, 136-unit building after a fire broke out.
Live Nation addressed Velasquez’s passing in a widely circulated statement: “Theresa was an impassioned leader at Live Nation, who elevated every project she was part of, at the same time breaking down barriers for women, and the LGBTQIA+ community. We will always remember and honor the impact she made, and will miss her dearly.”
The office of Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava announced in a formal release over the weekend that all the families of the identified victims had been notified, with 241 people “accounted for,” as the recovery and cleanup process draws to a close.
