KEITH’S TRAGIC ACCIDENT
AN INVESTIGATION IS PENDING AFTER A FATAL ACCIDENT
It was supposed to be Keith Urban’s big return to the American stage after the global pandemic forced him to cancel a string of gigs last year.
But when he appeared at the Bash on the Bay Country Music Festival in Ohio on August 26, the Aussie crooner was hiding a devastating secret – his long-time tour production manager, Randy ‘Baja’ Fletcher, had taken a nasty fall off the stage while setting up the show. Sadly, Baja would succumb to his injuries, dying the next day aged 72. A devastated Keith, 53, released a statement in tribute to his friend, who he’d worked with for 10 years.
“Baja Fletcher loved people,” acknowledged Keith. “Now that’s a phrase that’s a lot easier, and more often said than done. But this man truly did love people, and music, and life. And he lived it right.
“He saw the commonality in all of us and I can promise you this – once you’d been in the orbit of his light, he’d stay with you forever.
“Some people ask, ‘Are you a glass half full or a glass half empty kinda person?’ Baja’s view was, ‘What a beautiful glass.’ I loved him. We all loved him – and I’m grateful he chose us as his road family for 10 years.”
With her husband clearly shaken up by the sudden loss, Nicole Kidman, who is currently filming in Hong Kong, is preparing to race to his side if it all gets too much.
“Keith is a very emotional person and she’d hate to think of him struggling with loss alone,” tells the source.
Despite his grief, sources close to Keith say he’s already preparing for a lawsuit, or at least an investigation.
“Investigating a shocking death like this is standard procedure, and lawsuits are common practice. Keith’s lawyers will likely be expecting some legal correspondence to come in.”
Adds another source: “But Keith isn’t even thinking about legal ramifications right now, he’s just grieving his friend. He is devastated.”