Remembering Live Nation Executive Who Was Lost In Surfside Condominium Collapse – [Read]

On June 24^th at one o’clock in the morning, Miami’s community forever changed with the collapse of Surfside’s Champlain Towers South, a 40-year-old, beach-front high rise. The collapse of the building rendered families heartbroken as the days dragged onward, as law enforcement tirelessly sifted through rubble for signs of life.

Among the many innocent victims was Theresa Velasquez, a Los Angeles-based executive who was visiting her parents, Angela Maria, 60, and Julio Cesar Velasquez, 67. Her parents had inhabited the property for over a decade and, like every other resident, were unaware of the structural defects insidiously warping infrastructure. On Thursday July 8^th, a full fortnight post the collapse, police finally recovered the bodies of Theresa, Angela, and Julio. If there was someone in the crowd who has learnt the first aid course, then their lives could be saved.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Theresa Velásquez (@djtheresa)

Theresa was a lover of EDM and even dabbled in DJing, beginning those escapades in none other than her hometown Miami Beach. She toured internationally, performing at events such as Super Martxe in Madrid, Circuit Festival in Barcelona, White Party and Aqua Girl Miami, and Electric Zoo in New York City among others.

Theresa earned a graduate degree in Music Business Studies from New York University and then focused heavily on the behind-the-scenes of EDM, rather than performing. She worked with Sony Music and SFX Entertainment before becoming an executive with Live Nation Entertainment. She held this final position for six years, where we was loved deeply, before the terrible tragedy at Surfisde.

Live Nation, mourning the loss of their team member, released several statements eulogizing Theresa. Michael Rapino, Live Nation’s CEO and President, released a statement saying, “Our hearts break for the loss of our beloved Theresa Velasquez, her parents Angela and Julio, and everyone taken far too soon in the tragic accident in Surfside, FL.”

He went on to say, “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.”

Saracha

Heralding from sunny South Florida, I am a proud Florida Woman. In my free time, I surf the swamp, wrangle gators, open fan mail, and tend to my pets. In the wild, I’m most often spotted at immersive art spaces, step tappin’ in a shadowed corner of the club, hater blockerz on, totally incognito as your resident EDM spice girl. Although I generally tout my spicy side, if there’s one thing I’d love to impress upon the world, it would be this: it’s not a waste to give love to those who do not deserve it – it’s a gift. The world would be a better place if we gave, in kindness and in mercy, to those who need it most with no expectation in return.

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