Beyoncé honored the memory of O’Shae Sibley, a dancer stabbed to death over the weekend while voguing at a gas station in New York.
The 32-time Grammy Award winner posted a message on the front page of her official website, reading, “REST IN POWER O’SHAE SIBLEY.” The fatal attack reportedly happened while Sibley was dancing to Beyoncé’s music.
Sibley, 28, was a professional dancer affiliated with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Foundation’s Ailey Extension, according to People. On Saturday, he stopped at a Coney Island Avenue Mobil gas station in Brooklyn while traveling with friends. They began voguing to songs from the “Renaissance” album when a group of men approached and accosted them, according to The Cut.
The men hurled homophobic slurs at Sibley and his friends, according to media reports, The altercation escalated with Sibley being stabbed. He died after being taken to Maimonides Medical Center. The New York Police Department is investigating his death as a possible hate crime.
Otis Pena, one of Sibley’s friends who was present during the incident, disclosed what he said happened during a Facebook Live video. “They murdered him because he’s gay, because he stood up for his friends,” Pena said. “His name was O’Shae, and you all killed him. You all murdered him right in front of me.”
Representatives from Ailey Extension, where Sibley was a student, mourned his death in a statement: “He had incredible energy in the studio and was loved by instructors and fellow classmates.”
Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” received praise for embracing the LGBTQ community with its thematic nod to ballroom culture. She collaborated with several queer-identifying artists on the album, including Big Freedia, Syd, Ts Madison and others.
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