Fred Cothard collapsed at a Dead & Company concert in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park and later died. His friend Jody Leddy was present and comforted him until medical assistance arrived. Cothard, 54, ran his own construction company and had a lifelong passion for the Grateful Dead, often traveling to concerts with family and friends. His children started a GoFundMe campaign to cover expenses for transporting his remains to Michigan and for funeral needs. The campaign has raised over $36,000, surpassing its initial goal of $25,000.
"I am blessed & honored to have been there with him every moment yesterday before, during & after his passing," Leddy wrote. "I was holding him, talking to him about his kids, & kissing him until hours after the doctor pronounced him, until I got in touch with his daughter."
Cothard was 54 at the time of his death and operated his own construction company. He also had a "deep love and passion for the Grateful Dead" and would travel "the country with family and friends from all over the world, to see the next show."
Cothard's children, twins Sadie and Sawyer, said the GoFundMe campaign is raising money to transport his remains back home to Michigan, as well as for funeral and memorial expenses and immediate household needs.
"Our dad brought Sawyer and I to our first Dead show in 2016, even as young children we were welcomed into the Dead family with open arms," Sadie Cothard wrote. "May the four winds blow you safely home."
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