The GoFundMe page reportedly obtained more than $12,000 in donations before being taken down.
Angie Stone dead at 63
R&B singer Angie Stone died at 63 in a fatal rollover crash on Interstate 65 near Montgomery, Alabama.
A fake GoFundMe created following Grammy-nominated singer Angie Stone’s death has been taken down and its organizer has been banned from any future fundraising, the for-profit crowdfunding platform confirmed.
The GoFundMe claiming to “Support Angie Stone’s Legacy After Tragic Loss” was taken down, but not before it fraudulently obtained more than $12,000 in donations, TMZ reported. Stone died in a car crash early Saturday near Montgomery, Alabama at the age of 63.
In a statement emailed to USA TODAY on Thursday, a GoFundMe spokesperson said, “The fundraiser has been removed from the platform, all donations have been refunded, and the organizer has been banned from any future fundraising.
“At no point did the organizer have access to any of the donations. GoFundMe has zero tolerance for the misuse of our platform and takes swift action against those who seek to take advantage of the generosity of our community,” the statement continued.
According to the GoFundMe spokesperson, “cases of misuse are rare,” nonetheless, donors and beneficiaries are fully protected by the platform’s “Giving Guarantee.” GoFundMe is also closely monitoring its platform for any other fundraisers related to Stone’s death and will subsequently remove them if they violate terms of service, the statement reads.
What happened to Angie Stone?
While traveling from Mobile, Alabama to Atlanta on Saturday, the van Stone and her band members were in collided with a semi-truck on Interstate 65 five miles south of Montgomery, Lt. Jeremy Burkett of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency told USA TODAY.
The Mercedes Benz Sprinter flipped over on the road before it collided with the truck, Burkett said. Stone, who was a passenger in the van, was declared dead at the scene, he added.
The other eight passengers of the van were injured and taken to hospitals for treatment, according to Burkett.
“Never in a million years did we ever expect to get this horrible news. Our mom is and will always be our everything. We are still trying to process and are completely heartbroken,” Stone’s children, Diamond Stone and Michael Archer, said in a statement shared by her label, the SRG-ILS Group.
Stone had performed at a Mardi Gras event in Mobile, Alabama on Friday night, the Mobile-Area Mardi Gras Association said on Facebook.
Angie Stone honored by Beyoncé, Tyler Perry and more
Stone’s death left a lot of people mourning, including her close friends, family and her peers. One of them, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, paid tribute to Stone with a message on her website.
“Thank you for your voice, your strength, and your artistry. Your incredible legacy will live on forever. Rest in peace, Angie Stone,” Beyoncé’s official site now reads.
In addition to being musical peers, Stone and Beyoncé were co-stars in the 2003 film “The Fighting Temptations.”
Other high-profile celebrities, singers, entertainers and figures honored Stone following her death, including Tyler Perry, Jennifer Hudson, Sherri Shepherd, Rev. Bernice King, Rickey Smiley and Patrice Lovely.
“When I write a movie, I usually choose an artist to listen to that helps me see the world I’m creating,” Perry said in a Facebook post. “I’ve always loved Angie and her music… I don’t know what’s going on with so many people leaving this planet, but what I do know is that death is a door that we all will face one day. And I pray that my life has touched folks the way she touched so many.”
Contributing: Jay Cannon and Caché McClay/ USA TODAY & Shannon Heupel/ Montgomery Advertiser
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