What was supposed to be an unforgettable night of music turned into heartbreak when a devoted fan suddenly collapsed and died during a Bruce Springsteen concert in Portland.
Ben Colby, 51, of Hillsboro, had been counting down the hours to the show at the Moda Center. Friends say he spent much of the day texting about how excited he was to finally see “The Boss” live.
“I’m still in can’t-believe-it mode,” Colby wrote in what would become his final message to a close friend.
The night started off like any other concert outing. Colby met up with his longtime friend George Spaulding, who had scored tickets and invited him along. The two grabbed food and drinks before heading to the venue together, riding the MAX light rail to the arena.
Inside, the energy was high. At one point, Colby was seated while Spaulding stood nearby, with Colby even using an app to identify songs as Springsteen performed.
But about an hour into the show, everything changed.
A nearby concertgoer noticed Colby slumped in his seat and unresponsive. Within seconds, panic spread through the section as people rushed to help.
By chance, a cardiologist and a former nurse were sitting directly behind him. They quickly checked for a pulse — and when they couldn’t find one, they jumped into action, performing CPR while others ran to get help.
Despite the chaos unfolding in the crowd, the concert continued, with the stage lights still down and the music playing on.
Colby was eventually carried out to the lobby, where emergency responders transported him to a nearby hospital. Despite efforts to revive him both in the ambulance and at the hospital, he could not be saved.
Doctors later determined the cause of death was ventricular fibrillation, a type of cardiac arrest.
For those who knew him, the loss is devastating.
Colby, a graduate of Pacific University, was remembered as a loyal friend who built lifelong relationships. He is survived by siblings, nieces, nephews, and countless friends who considered him family — many of whom knew him simply as “Uncle Ben.”
Friends say there’s some comfort in knowing he spent his final moments doing something he truly loved.
“There are best friends, and then there are George and Ben,” one friend said. “They were ride-or-die. And he was at a concert he couldn’t wait to see.”
Too bad……….and too bad it wasn’t Springsteen !
He’s a useless, America Hating POS that could care LESS about anything except his bottom line.
Wonder what a good “Ambulance Chaser” could get him charged with & collect from him?
There are worse people in the world than springsteen, but I’m hard pressed to name one !