Luke Combs pays funeral costs of 3 men who died at Michigan music festival

JACKSON, Mich. — Country singer Luke Combs has paid for the funerals of three men who died from exposure to carbon monoxide during a Michigan music festival.

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Dawson Brown, 20; Kole Sova, 19; and Richie Mays Jr., 20, were found dead at a campground near the three-day Faster Horses Music Festival in Brooklyn last weekend, WSYM reported. Officials said the cause of the men’s deaths appeared to be carbon monoxide poisoning from a nearby generator, according to the television station.

The country music festival at the Michigan International Speedway typically attracts about 40,000 festivalgoers per day, MLive.com reported.

Asha Goodman, a representative for Combs, confirmed to WLNS that the singer paid for the funerals but said he was not making any further comment.

The mothers of the men said they were touched by Combs’ gesture.

“They were kind of right next to us, so we weren’t cramping their style, but we experienced Luke Combs together,” Meeka Sova told MLive.com. “It’s just so surreal. It’s like, holy moly. For him to do that -- I mean, he doesn’t know our boys -- there’s so many people there to watch him.

“For him to reach out and do that, I don’t even have the words. I wish I could just give him a hug. Right now, through this hard time, it’s hard to come up with words, but the hugs are what we feel. We definitely feel that awesome gesture.”

Amy Satterthwaite said sharing that final concert with Mays was special.

“I know the boys -- they’re up there dancing around thinking it’s probably really cool,” Satterthwaite told MLive.com. “For me, it’s really special and probably from Meeka, too, because that was the last time we were with our boys, at the Luke Combs concert.

“It makes me feel really good. It feels like a sign -- a really nice sign.”

Brown’s family was unavailable for comment, according to MLive.com.

Rayfield Johnson, from Michigan Center, and Kurtis Stitt, of Hesperia, were in the same camper as the three men who died and were being treated for acute carbon monoxide poisoning, the website reported.

Arthur-Day Funeral Home Office Manager Debbie Branham said the community support has been overwhelming, WSYM reported.

A GoFundMe page for the victims has already raised more than $61,000.

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