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Ezra Blount: Family of Astroworld victim, 9, rejects Travis Scott's offer to pay for funeral

Blount family's attorney Bob Hilliard wrote to Scott's lawyer Daniel Petrocelli: 'Your client’s offer is declined'

The family of nine-year-old Ezra Blount, the youngest of the 10 people who died at the Astroworld Festival earlier this month, has rejected an offer Travis Scott made to pay for the boy's funeral.

In a letter obtained by the Rolling Stone, the Blount family's attorney Bob Hilliard wrote to Scott's lawyer Daniel Petrocelli: "Your client’s offer is declined. I have no doubt Mr Scott feels remorse. His journey ahead will be painful. He must face and hopefully see that he bears some of the responsibility for this tragedy." In a November 24 letter, Petrocelli said that Scott "would like to pay for the funeral expenses" of Blount, adding that his client remains "devastated by the tragedy that occurred at the Astroworld Festival and grieves for the families whose loved ones died or were injured. Travis is committed to doing his part to help the families who have suffered and begin the long process of healing in the Houston community."

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Petrocelli continued, saying that the offer would "have no effect" on the legal proceedings brought against Scott and other parties by Blount's father Treston Blount. Hilliard said in a response that the rapper "must respect" his "devastation" over how the tragic events unfolded although it was not comparable to what Blount's family is feeling. He likened it to "a faucet of unimaginable pain that has no off handle." Hilliard said that "to lose a child in the manner Treston lost Ezra compounds the pain. As a parent, Treston cannot help but agonize over the terrible idea that Ezra’s last minutes were filled with terror, suffering, suffocation, and worst of all surrounded by strangers, his dad unconscious underneath the uncontrolled crowd."

How did Ezra Blount die?

Ezra Blount, a child from Dallas, Texas, was among the 10 people who died after suffering injuries from a crowd surge at the November 5 festival at NRG Park in Houston. After being placed in a medically induced coma, on November 14, Bount died of irreversible organ failure at Texas Children’s Hospital. Blount's funeral took place in Texas on November 23. Both Ezra and his father Treston were caught in the deadly crowd surge at the concert. His grandmother Tericia Blount said, "Everyone was pushing. It was so tight with no exits. His dad couldn’t breathe at all and passed out. We don’t really know what happened to Ezra after that."

In the wake of the tragedy, Blount's family has already rejected overtures from Scott's camp for arranging an in-person meeting. "We were pretty firm. With all due respect, no. This isn’t a photo-op story here. This is a 'who’s responsible and why' type of investigation. And he’s on the shortlist," Tericia said. 

'Why is a 9-year-old allowed in a Travis Scott concert?'

There were a lot of reactions to the news of the Blount family rejecting Travis Scott's efforts to pay for Ezra's funeral. While some were sarcastic, others mainly held the parents responsible for their child's death. "More money for travis he ain’t losing a dime from these lawsuits that everyone thinks he’s in," one of the people said, while another noted, "Probably came with a clause that you won't sue if he does pay." a third quipped, "First and foremost….. Who sends a 9 ur old to a festival in the first place. That fault on parents to honest #Respectfully."

One more noted, "First of all, why is a 9 year old allowed in a Travis Scott concert?!?!?!" Another commented, "Still doesn’t get it . Who let him in ? I was thinking festival was like stripclub." The next remarked, "Good, parent’s shouldn’t have let their kid go to an adult concert." One more said, "The parents….First of all why did I you brought 9 years old kid in Astroworld? There are a bunch of racers out there…"