11 people killed 43 years ago at The Who concert in Cincinnati remembered by family

CINCINNATI — Family and community members gathered together Saturday night to remember the 11 fans of The Who that were killed 43 years ago while attending the band’s concert in Cincinnati, according to our news partner WCPO in Cincinnati.

>>RELATED: Vintage video of The Who deadly concert in Cincinnati in 1979

“It’s a way for families and other people affected by this event to kind of come together and support each other,” said Kasey Ladd, the organizer of the event. “Taking a negative and making it a positive.”

Ladd was a toddler when his mother, Teva Rae Ladd, went to the concert on Dec. 3, 1979 and never came back, WCPO says.

He organized this event 13 years ago and has been holding it every year since.

It helps his father, Mike Ladd, cope with his grief because he did not just lose his wife, he survived the tragedy, he tells WCPO.

“A wall of people came over and we hit the ground, she went one way and I went another,” Ladd said. “Next thing I know, (police and paramedics) they were bringing people out on stretchers and I seen her come out. They tried to revive her, but they failed.”

He describes his wife as a free spirit, hard worker and someone who love her kids, according to WCPO.

>>RELATED: The Who returning to Cincinnati for first performance since 1979 concert tragedy

The Who returned to Cincinnati in May for the first time since this tragedy and honored the lives lost 43 years ago before and during the show. Both Mike and Kasey Ladd were in attendance and met the band’s manager.

The 11 fans killed in 1979 will be remembered through scholarships at their high schools, WCPO reports.

Proceeds from the concert funded those 11 scholarships and will be awarded to students pursing a degree in the arts.

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