Update: The man killed when an E-1 force tornado ripped through the Apollo Theatre in Belvidere Friday evening has been identified as 50-year-old Fred Livingston, Jr., a father of 3 and a grandpa.
Livingston’s family posted a statement, writing “On behalf of the family of Frederick Forest Livingston Jr. Fred was a son, brother, father, uncle and grandpa. Fred was a car (proud owner of a 1967 GTO) and heavy metal enthusiast. Fred had a big heart and cared for others deeply. Please keep all of Fred’s family and friends in your thoughts.”
Meanwhile, authorities have upped the count of those injured to 40.
The National Weather Service has now classified the tornado that hit the theatre as an E-1, which involves wind speeds of 86-110 miles per hour. The tornado cut a swath of almost 28 miles before dissipating.
At around 7:30pm yesterday evening, approximately 260 people had gathered at The Apollo Theatre in Belvidere, just outside of Rockford, to hear the band Morbid Angel perform a concert.
And then the roof came crashing down.
At that moment, what appears to have been a powerful tornado ripped through the theatre, destroying its roof and sending heavy debris down on the concertgoers. The theater’s marquee and facade crashed onto the abutting street and the area was littered with bricks and debris.
Multiple agencies responded immediately to the disaster, eventually identifying 1 fatality, and sending 28 people to nearby hospitals – 5 with severe injuries.
Video posted on the Morbid Angel Facebook page by Jeff Liner appears to show the extent of the damage.
Morbid Angel posted on Facebook:
A local resident, Jayme Carlson, posted a security cam photo that appears to show the tornado bearing down on the city.
Governor Pritzker posted that “My administration is closely monitoring the roof collapse at the Apollo Theatre in Belvidere tonight. I’ve been in touch with officials for updates and to direct any available resources we can. As we learn more, please follow the guidance of all local authorities.”
