Slipknot fan dies after falling in mosh pit at Illinois Knotfest

A fan has died after being knocked over in the mosh pit of a Slipknot concert in Illinois.
Slipknot performing in Quebec City in July, 2019. Photo credit: Getty

A fan has died after falling over in a mosh pit at a Slipknot concert in the US state of Illinois.

Richard Valadez was aged 62 and was reportedly moshing with other fans at the Knotfest show when fell over after apparently being hit.

Two men reportedly performed CPR on Valadez, but he was pronounced dead at the scene at 11.34pm, Sunday (local time), according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office.

Anthony Mackey, who was also at the Knotfest gig at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, has spoken to media about witnessing Valadez in the mosh pit.

"Basically everyone was jumping around in the mosh pit having a good time and just being friendly roughhousing dorks, as usual for metal concerts," Mackey told news website Patch.

He says Valadez was "hit too hard" about an hour into Slipknot's set, causing him to fall and not get up.

"He seized as people were trying to help him up, so we start calling for help."

Patch also reports witnesses describing confusion at the event and there are accusations of poor management by the venue, as it reportedly took 15 - 25 minutes for emergency personnel to come and help.

An autopsy on Valadez is pending - his cause of death is currently unknown.

Slipknot released their sixth album We Are Not Your Kind on August 6. It's won critical acclaim, with NME's review labelling it "an astonishing record... a primal scream of endlessly inventive extreme metal and searing misanthropy".

The band is heading to New Zealand in October as the support act for Metallica.

Newshub.