The Oasis fan who plunged to his death during the British rock band’s London concert Saturday night may have slipped on the beer-soaked floor before his tragic fall, according to his devastated family.
Lee Claydon, 45, was pronounced dead after he allegedly lost his footing on the alcohol-slicked ground and tumbled from the upper-tier balcony during the legendary Britpop musicians’ concert at Wembley Stadium.
“People have said horrible things but it was just an accident,” his grief-stricken father, Clive, 75, told the BBC, questioning the safety measures at the famed stadium, while noting his son, whom he referred to as “a lovely bloke,” may have had a “couple beers” at the concert.
“All I know is there was beer everywhere. It’s slippery, he slipped apparently, we do not know the rest of it. There’s questions about the barriers.”
Oasis fans shattered the venue’s all-time booze sales record each night of the band’s performances.
Roughly 4,500 kegs have been shipped in for gigs at Wembley since Oasis kicked off their first tour in 16 years early last month, drawing an estimated 80,000 fans per show, the Standard reported.
Parts of the stadium have also been converted into storage to meet gig-goers’ boozy demands, with fans setting a new Wembley record of roughly 250,000 pints sold each night, the outlet reported.
“I’ve been told that it was an accident waiting to happen,” Clive told the US Sun, adding that his son attended the concert with his brother, niece and nephew, who didn’t witness the horrific fall.
“I can’t understand how it happened. I’ve never been to Wembley, but you would expect the health and safety to be good but I’ve been told that apparently it was dangerous there. I want answers from Wembley about how it could have happened.”
A Wembley spokesperson told the outlet that the stadium operates to a “very high health and safety standard,” has met all legal requirements for the arena and staff and is regularly inspected.
Police who responded to the grim scene confirmed Claydon’s injuries were “consistent with a fall.”
Anyone who saw the death or caught it on video is now being urged to contact authorities as they continue to investigate.
Claydon, a landscape gardener from Bournemouth, is remembered as a devoted family man and father, who loved fishing, music, his guitar and Oasis.
“Our family has been turned upside down and are struggling to deal with this devastation and unexpected loss,” his brother, Aaron, said in a GoFundMe launched after the sudden accident.
“Lee was a loving family man who was a role model to his son Harry and was loved so much by all his family. Lee would have done anything for any of us and he was taken from us far too soon and we will miss him so very much.”
Oasis said they were “shocked and saddened” by the tragedy, offering ”sincere condolences to the family and friends of the person involved,” in a statement Sunday.