Sheila E. slammed festival organizers following the death of a woman at the concert whose body was allegedly left in the crowd until after her performance.
The legendary musician admitted she was heartbroken upon hearing how Shari Sanders died at the Carson Jazz Festival amid sweltering temperatures over the weekend in Southern California.
On social media, Sheila told her followers about a “very important” situation where a concertgoer died either “during or before” her performance.
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“This has never happened to me in my entire career,” she said. “It was devastating. Her name was Shari Sanders.”
The musician explained that it was “very hot that day” with temperatures soaring above 100 degrees in Southern California.
“When we got there at 7:30 a.m., people were already in line sitting in their chairs waiting to get in,” she said before noting that organizers opened the grounds 30 minutes early to let attendees in.
She noted witnessing emergency crews “going through the crowds like crazy,” while waiting with her band for her set at the festival.
“We were thinking, it’s so hot outside … maybe people were dehydrated, and we could see that through the window of the dressing room,” she said. “We never got our sound check, so things were running late. Production wasn’t there, stuff was just happening.”
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“We were waiting for the next band … all of a sudden everything just stopped.”
She explained, “The lady, Shari Sanders, was saving seats – this is what we were told – was saving seats for her family and I guess someone saw her kind of slumped over a little bit, again this is what we were told.”
Sheila said that the bystander asked her if she was “OK” and she was “not responsive.”
“Then that lead to, you know, people coming and trying to find out what’s going on,” she said. “We then saw paramedics, but this was like 20 minutes later.”
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The drummer said she was told the woman had passed.
“We were all heartbroken because that’s never happened, to have someone pass away before … and it was outside,” she noted. “It was at the park.”
“The devastating part is she passed away,” Sheila said before relaying that she heard there was minimal access to hydration stations throughout the venue.
“Carson City, you need to do better … They’ve been bragging about that they’ve been doing it for 40 years, but this is not good to have people sitting outside for three hours to be able to come to a festival.”
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Sheila admitted that she, along with the band, prayed for the woman before going on stage.
“I stopped after the first song and dedicated the show to her and her family, and had a moment of silence for her,” she said. “Little did we know, that after we were done performing, we went back to the dressing room, we were then told at 5 p.m. – we were done around 4:30 – they had just picked up her body.”
“That is uncalled … that is not even uncalled for. It’s devastating,” she said. “I just want to say to the community, that I would have never – never gotten on stage if I would have known that her body was still sitting there with her family surrounding her.”
Sheila said that production should have “stopped the festival” and said that the situation was “uncalled for.”
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“It made me sick to my stomach when I heard later on that … that her body did not get taken until after we were off stage. I am so sorry to the family. I am sorry that you lost a family member,” she said. “I want to send my personal condolences to you.”
She added, “I should not have played. Someone should have told me that she was still there.”
In a statement shared on social media, Mayor Lula Davis-Holmes wrote that “hearts are heavy following the tragic loss of a life at our community event.”
“On behalf of the City, I extend our deepest condolences to the family, loved ones, and everyone affected by this tragedy,” she wrote. “I have personally reached out and have spoken to the family during this painful time, and I ask our entire community to join me in keeping them in your prayers – surrounding them with strength, comfort, and peace during this unimaginable moment.”
The City of Carson shared a statement with Fox News Digital about the death of Sanders: “On behalf of the Mayor and City Council, leadership, and staff, our deepest prayers and condolences go out to the family and loved ones of Ms. Shari Sanders during this incredibly painful time. The City is fully cooperating and coordinating with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Los Angeles County Fire Department. We are committed to ensuring that all verified facts are communicated directly to Ms. Sanders’ family first through the lead agencies, privately and respectfully, before they are debated in the public sphere.”
Adding: “Regarding the commentary from our festival headliner, Ms. Sheila E., we appreciate her participation in this community event. Ms. Sheila E. has publicly acknowledged that she had no personal, firsthand knowledge of the logistics or circumstances surrounding this medical emergency. Given the immense sensitivity of this tragedy, we strongly urge everyone to refrain from spreading unverified, secondhand speculation out of respect for the Sanders family.”
“The Carson Jazz Festival was hosted as a free, open-access public community event. In preparation for the high temperatures, the City deployed comprehensive heat-mitigation and public-safety infrastructure throughout the venue, including dedicated hydration stations and a free water tank from Cal Water, shaded structures and law enforcement personnel. Furthermore, the City’s contracted on-side medical staff and specialized first-aid station were present and operational to respond immediately to emergencies. Publicly available video confirms that Ms. Sheila E. was aware of the medical incident prior to taking the stage and she appropriately observed a moment of silence on behalf of the deceased during her performance.”
“The City of Carson remains steadfastly focused on supporting the family, honoring Ms. Sanders’ memory, and relying strictly on the official findings of the investigating authorities rather than social media speculation,” signed by David C. Roberts Jr., City Manager.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Mayor’s office for comment.
