MIAMI (WSVN) - A second man believed to have contracted COVID-19 while attending this year’s Winter Party Festival has died of complications from the virus, event organizers said.
In a statement posted on Facebook, Tuesday, a spokesperson for the National LGBTQ Task Force said Ron Rich “succumbed to COVID-19 over the weekend.”
The spokesperson said Rich was a frequent collaborator on Task Force events and fundraisers across South Florida.
The statement read in part, “Ron was a familiar face to the guests who attended the Task Force Gala, Winter Party Festival and our Fort Lauderdale house parties over the past five years as his big smile and warmth had him mostly serving on our hospitality team.”
Rich’s death comes days after 40-year-old North Miami resident Israel Carreras was identified as the first death from COVID-19 in Miami-Dade County.
Carreras’ friends said he contracted the virus during Winter Party, where several other cases had appeared.
The statement from the Task Force was one of several social media posts that paid tribute to Rich and praised his involvement in the LGBTQ community.
“He will be missed. We extend our condolences to his family and friends,” the statement read in part.
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