Artist outraged at SoCal festival as show continues after woman passes out

A legendary musician known as the “Queen of Percussion” blasted a California festival after they continued her performance despite a woman’s body being found in the park.

The city of Carson held a music event on Saturday during the ongoing SoCal heat wave, which pushed temperatures over the triple digits.

Sheila E., a Grammy Award winner, slammed the city for continuing the festival even as an attendee passed away and her body remained.

“Production, whoever, the city, the mayor was there. All of you guys should have stopped the festival,” she said in an emotional Instagram video. “I’m sorry. You should have stopped the festival.”

“Carson, you guys have to do better,” she said. “This was horrible. Horrible. And I’m so sorry that I played because I would not have gotten onstage knowing that she was still there.”

Concerned bystanders found Shari Sanders of Altadena unconscious and unresponsive in the VIP section at Carson’s Anderson Memorial Park, where she was saving seats for her family, the musician said. A doctor at the festival performed CPR on her for 20 minutes but could not revive her.

Her family told KTLA Sanders’ death is heat-related, and she had no prior medical history. After Sanders passed away, her body was covered until it could be picked up at 5 p.m., about a half hour after Sheila wrapped her performance.

The musician says she believed “everything was taken care of” and even said a blessing for the woman during her performance. She was unaware her body stayed at the park.

“This has never happened to me in my entire career,” the 68-year-old Grammy Award winner said. “It was devastating.”

She believed the festival did not have enough water for attendees, who had arrived there as early as 7:30 a.m. An AccuWeather forecast for Saturday placed the high temperature at 102 degrees.

“The devastating part is she passed away, and we heard that … there was only one water station, which was unfortunate because there was just not enough water for everyone,” she said.

The doctor who tried to save Sanders’ life, Dr. Dionne Leslie, said she believed the woman was going to make it. “(I was) just trying to breathe air into that woman and for her to look up in that moment, I just thought that she was going to make it,” Leslie said.

But she was devastated to learn her body remained at the park.

“No one wants to see their mom at a park covered up with kids playing, and music playing, like she didn’t matter,” Leslie said.

Carson Mayor Lula Davis-Holmes offered condolences to Sanders’ family as well as Sheila E.

A city spokesperson told KTLA that officials are reviewing the circumstances surrounding the death and cooperating with the appropriate authorities.

Sheila E. won the Grammy in 2025 for “Bemba Colorá,” working with Gloria Estefan and Mimy Succar. She also worked with Prince on the renowned song, “The Glamorous Life,” in the 1980s.

The cause of Sanders’ death is still under investigation.

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