Who was John Hilgert? Youngest Astroworld Fest victim's coach pens tribute, writes "chapter isn't over yet"

John Hilgert in an old photograph (Image via houstonbaseballpro/Instagram)
John Hilgert in an old photograph (Image via houstonbaseballpro/Instagram)

Travis Scott's Houston concert at the Astroworld Festival on November 5 experienced a mishap that claimed eight young lives. The incident also caused the hospitalization of 17 attendees, of which 11 suffered cardiac arrest. Almost 300 people required minor medical assistance at Astroworld.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner revealed the ages of the eight victims. They included: a 14-year-old, a 16-year-old, two 21-year-olds, two 23-year-olds, and a 27-year-old. However, the age of the eighth victim at Astroworld is not yet known.

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The concerned authorities also revealed that at least one of the victims was not native to Harris County. Meanwhile, Mayor Turner also said that five out of the 13 hospitalized are under 18.


The youngest victim of the Astroworld crisis was 14-year-old John Hilgert

John was in the ninth standard at the age of 14 and attended Memorial High School. He was identified by the Spring Branch Independent School District, who said in a statement:

"Our hearts go out to the student's family and to his friends and our staff at Memorial. This is a terrible loss, and the entire MHS family is grieving today. "

Meanwhile, Memorial High School tied green ribbons everywhere on the campus, as Green was John's favorite color. John Hilgert was a student-athlete with interest in multiple sports. According to the Houston Chronicle, he played on a youth football team.

Furthermore, the 14-year-old went to the concert along with his other classmate, albeit separately. While his classmate Robby Hendrix returned from the Astroworld event, Hilgert passed away due to the mysterious incident at the venue.

John Hilgert was 6 feet tall and also played on an elite baseball team. His baseball coach, Justin Higgs, took to Instagram and Facebook to share his thoughts about the 14-year-old.

The coach said:

"The kid impacted everyone that met him. Privileged to have had the opportunity to coach him during those seasons of his life... His chapter isn't over, he's playing ball in the sky right now watching over all of us."

He also added,

"I have memories of John I'll never forget. You had to love the kid. No option not too cause he was who he was. He loved the game if [sic] baseball..."

As per the Houston Chronicle, John Hilgert had texted his classmate about going to NRG park early for the Astroworld event.