WEST WARWICK -- Two crosses dedicated to Great White guitarist Ty
Longley, who died in The Station nightclub fire, have been removed from
the site of the former club.
Jody King, vice president of The Station Family Fund, which offers aid
to those affected by the fire, filed a police report today about the
crosses' disappearance from the site, which has been turned into a
makeshift memorial of crosses, teddy bears and other mementoes.
Police spokesman Al Giusti confirmed a report had been filed, but would
not say whether any crosses or memorabilia had been removed from the
premises. "It's an active investigation," Giusti said.
The Feb. 20 fire started after Great White, a 1980s rock band, set off
pyrotechnics during a performance at the club. Longley was among those
who died in the blaze, which killed 100 people and injured about 200.
King said a member of The Station Family Fund's board was visiting the
site Saturday and discovered the crosses were missing. The woman told
King a note had been left where the crosses once stood, along with other
mementoes such as teddy bears, candles and flowers. King provided a copy
of the note to The Associated Press.
"Ty and his band killed my daughter," the handwritten message read, with
a blacked out space after the last word. "I'm sorry but Ty doesn't
deserve to have a cross here."
It included a warning: "As many times as something goes up, I will tear
it down."
King said a detective made a copy of the note. Giusti would not confirm
the existence of a note or whether police had a copy.
On Sunday, King and a friend who is a part-time welder made a steel
cross for Longley. The memorial is in the shape of a guitar, with a bar
intersecting the guitar's neck to complete the cross shape.
Later that day, the pair dug a 3-foot trench at the site, and rooted the
cross in concrete, King said.
"It's going to take a backhoe to get it out," King said.
Giusti said police were unaware a new cross had been placed at the site.
One of the original crosses for Longley was made by his father and his
girlfriend. The cross was shipped to King, who put it at the site.
Attached to it were pictures of Longley's son, Acey, who was born this
summer. The other cross was made by The Station Family Fund, King said.
King lost his younger brother, Tracy, in the fire. He has a portrait of
the bald 39-year-old tattooed over his heart. He said he understands
some people may be mad at the band, though he is not.
"But this was a father who sent a cross to his son, a (girlfriend)
grieving for her soul mate," King said.
