MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – A second person who attended the Miami Beach Winter Party has died after contracting the novel coronavirus.
Additionally, a growing number of people who attended the famed party are reporting flu-like symptoms.
The National LGBTQ Task Force posted a picture of Ron Rich on Facebook, saying the organization is mourning his death due to COVID-19.
The National LGBTQ Task Force is mourning the passing of a loyal volunteer, Ron Rich, who succumbed to COVID-19 over the...
Posted by National LGBTQ Task Force Gala - Miami on Tuesday, March 31, 2020
Rich is described as a familiar face and a years-long volunteer with the task force at numerous events, including the Winter Party festival held earlier this month.
“'They’re putting me on a ventilator’ was the last thing he wrote me, and that was Friday morning,” said Vin Kruger, who considered Rich his best friend. “He was just, for me, he was like my security blanket.”
Rich is now the second known coronavirus death of a person known to have been at the party.
40-year-old Israel Carreras also became ill days after attending the event and passed away last week from the virus.