The members of the two-man British band Her’s were killed in a fiery car crash while driving from Phoenix, Arizona, to Santa Ana, California, on Wednesday morning.
Liverpool musicians Stephen Fitzpatrick, 24, and Audun Laading, 25, were killed in the incident, along with tour manager Trevor Engelbrektson. A fourth person was also killed.
Her’s record label, Heist or Hit, announced the news on Facebook Thursday night, posting: “Having recently released their debut album ‘Invitation to Her’s,’ Stephen and Audun were on their second tour of North America playing 19 dates of sold-out shows to a fanbase that adored them. The pair were one of the UK’s most loved up and coming bands.
“Their energy, vibrancy and talent came to define our label. As humans, they were warm, gentle and hilarious. Each time they stopped by the office made for an uplifting experience. To say they were close would be an underestimation of a friendship that was genuinely beautiful to witness; they loved one another like brothers.”
The Arizona Department of Public Safety said it was investigating a wrong-way crash on Interstate 10 west of Phoenix at 1 a.m. local time on Wednesday, but could not confirm the identity of the four people killed, BBC News reported.
A spokesman said the release of information about the crash would be delayed as a result of “almost all evidence being lost in the fire.”
NBC affiliate 12 News reported Wednesday that four people were killed in a wrong-way crash on the I-10 near milepost 64, but did not confirm their names. DPS and La Paz County Sheriff’s Department said a Nissan pickup collided head-on with a Ford 15-passenger van in the westbound lane near milepost 67.8.
The driver of the Nissan and all three people in the Ford perished. There was no roadway evidence to indicate braking by either vehicle prior to impact, DPS said.
“The bodies are not identifiable and we are relying on the Medical Examiner’s office to help with positive identification,” they added.
Her’s played at SXSW in Austin, Texas, earlier this month, with the festival’s website describing the band as: “Liverpool’s premier crank-pop duo have birthed a catalogue of tunes causing an epidemic case of the jives. Echoing the gauzy slacker sound of Mac DeMarco with guitars that chime like The Smiths, they channel the surreal and the sublime through a twist of technicolor tropicalia.
“A wistful tenderness inhabits the architecture of their perfect oddball pop, winning them fans at BBC Radio 1, 6 Music, DIY, The Guardian, Stereogum and Hype Machine. In 12 months, the band have been making audiences hips shake, from Green Man to The Great Escape, Benicassim to SXSW.”
Founded by former Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts students Fitzpatrick and Laauding, Her’s released their debut album “Invitation To Her’s” in August 2018, which followed on from their 2017 compilation “Songs Of Her’s.”
For the record: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the crash occurred in California.