J. Cole’s Sacramento concert was called off Thursday after a member of the rapper’s touring team died in a devastating trucking crash earlier that morning.
The crew member was driving a big rig carrying equipment for the 41-year-old artist’s scheduled performance when the truck overturned on southbound Interstate 5 near Woodland, California, at approximately 6 a.m.
Authorities told CBS News Sacramento that no other passengers were in the vehicle at the time of the crash.
Golden 1 Center, the Sacramento venue where J. Cole was due to perform, announced the cancellation in an Instagram statement, saying: “Following the tragic passing of a member of the touring crew in a trucking accident this morning, J. Cole’s show scheduled for tonight has been cancelled.”
The venue added: “Our thoughts are with the crew member’s family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.”
Investigators said the truck moved onto the right shoulder before overturning as the driver attempted to guide it back onto the freeway.
J. Cole’s Sacramento concert was cancelled after a touring crew member was killed in a Thursday morning trucking accident; Cole is pictured on August 24
The big rig was hauling equipment for J. Cole’s show when it overturned on southbound Interstate 5 near Woodland, California, around 6 a.m. (pictured)
Our News Outlet has reached out to Cole’s representatives and the California Highway Patrol (CHP) for comment.
The driver was freed from the wreckage and a helicopter was dispatched to the scene, but the truck operator was later pronounced dead.
The big rig was hauling gear from the rapper’s previous tour stop in Seattle on Tuesday.
The driver’s identity has not been publicly released.
Authorities have not yet determined why the truck veered off the road.
CHP Sergeant David Barker told CBS that authorities are considering a number of possibilities, including distraction or the driver falling asleep, but added that the cause remains unknown.
Cole’s current tour is in support of his seventh studio album, The Fall-Off, released in February.
It marks the rapper’s first solo headlining tour in five years.
The Golden 1 Center venue, where the show was set to take place, shared a statement via Instagram, confirming the tour member’s death
The big rig was hauling gear from the rapper’s previous tour stop in Seattle on Tuesday; Cole pictured at his Vancouver show in Canada on August 24
The hip hop star’s current tour is in support of his seventh studio album, The Fall-Off, released in February. It marks the rapper’s first solo headlining tour in five years; Cole pictured in 2016
The Love Yourz hitmaker’s next scheduled dates are set for Oakland, California, on Saturday and Sunday; Pictured in 2020
The hip hop star’s next scheduled dates are set for Oakland, California, on Saturday and Sunday.
He is then set to perform in Los Angeles on Tuesday, September 1, and Thursday, September 3.
It’s currently unknown if any of the upcoming dates will be affected.
Cole, born Jermaine Lamarr Cole, first rose to prominence as a rapper following the release of his debut mixtape, The Come Up, in early 2007.
He has won two Grammy Awards, a Billboard Music Award and eight BET Hip Hop Awards.
