Ex on the Beach star Chris Pearson was murdered this weekend, and his friends are doing their best to help his family out. According to a report by TMZ, Pearson was stabbed in the early hours of Sunday morning and died at the hospital shortly thereafter. The details of the encounter have still not been disclosed, but Pearson’s friends are crowdfunding his funeral expenses.
Friends and law enforcement sources told TMZ that Pearson was out in the San Fernando Valley area of southern California on Saturday night when the fateful altercation took place. He reportedly got into a fight with another person who stabbed him at around 2 a.m. local time. He passed away at the nearest hospital at around 3:30 a.m. Pearson is survived by his mother and other family members back in Colorado, and his friends are hoping to spare them the stress of transporting his remains home and hosting a big funeral. They have set up a GoFundMe page to ask fans for help.
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“Unfortunately, Chris passed away early Sunday morning unexpectedly after a tragic encounter,” the campaign reads. “Chris was the one person that loved with his whole heart. He had so much love and energy to give to every single person he crossed paths with. He wouldn’t leave the room until he made sure every single person was happy.”
“The only other thing that Chris loved more than his music was his family and friends,” it goes on. “All Chris wanted was to make it far in life to help his family and make them proud. Chris was taken from us way way too soon. Nobody was ready for this, there was so much more he had set to accomplish.”
“We ask that you please donate or share this to help His mother and the family out with funeral expenses. No donation is too small, every cent counts. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Any videos, pictures, memories or kind words are extremely encouraged and appreciated,” it concludes.
At the time of this writing, the campaign has raised nearly $1,900, with more donations coming in by the minute. Many come from fans of Ex on the Beach, who remember Pearson as a particularly lively and enthralling figure in the world of reality TV.
Police say that Pearson’s stabbing is a “solvable case,” and that they have leads to pursue. So far, no further details on his passing have been released. He was just 25 years old.