Travis Scott offered to pay for the Astroworld funerals, but the families overwhelmingly refused. Within weeks of the November 5, 2021 crowd crush that killed ten people at his Houston festival, at least seven of the ten victims’ families publicly declined his offer to cover funeral expenses, and no public reporting has confirmed that any family accepted.
What Scott Offered
On November 8, 2021, three days after the deadly crowd surge, a representative for Scott announced that the rapper would cover all funeral expenses for the victims. The statement called it “the first of many steps Travis plans on taking as a part of personal vow to assist those affected throughout their grieving and recovery process.”1Houston Public Media. Travis Scott Says He Will Cover Funeral Costs Related to Astroworld Festival
The formal offers came later, in letters sent on or around November 24, 2021 by Scott’s attorney, Daniel Petrocelli, to lawyers representing each family. Petrocelli wrote that Scott was “devastated by the tragedy” and “committed to doing his part to help the families who have suffered.” He added that accepting the payment would “have no effect” on any pending lawsuit.2Rolling Stone. Travis Scott Astroworld Victim Ezra Blount Funeral
The timing itself became part of the criticism. Nine-year-old Ezra Blount, the youngest person killed, was buried on November 23, one day before Petrocelli’s letter reached his family.
Why the Families Said No
By early December 2021, at least seven of the ten families had publicly declined.3CNN. Travis Scott Astroworld Funeral Costs Their attorneys, speaking on their behalf, characterized the offer as a public relations gesture rather than genuine accountability.
Attorney Bob Hilliard, who represented the Blount family with co-counsel Ben Crump, wrote back: “Your client’s offer is declined. I have no doubt Mr. Scott feels remorse. His journey ahead will be painful. He must face and hopefully see that he bears some of the responsibility for this tragedy.”4NBC News. Family of Youngest Astroworld Victim Rejects Travis Scott’s Offer to Pay for Funeral Hilliard also rejected a request from Scott’s camp for an in-person meeting with the family, saying, “This isn’t a photo-op story here. This is a ‘who’s responsible and why’ type of investigation. And he’s on the short list.”2Rolling Stone. Travis Scott Astroworld Victim Ezra Blount Funeral
Other families gave similarly direct reasons through their lawyers:
- For Mirza “Danish” Baig’s family, attorney Michael Lyons called the offer a public relations ploy designed to “soften people up,” adding that “a check from Travis Scott is not going to relieve the pain and suffering.”5Billboard. Travis Scott Astroworld Four Families Reject Funeral Payments
- For Axel Acosta Avila’s family, attorney Tony Buzbee said the offer “didn’t warrant a response.”5Billboard. Travis Scott Astroworld Four Families Reject Funeral Payments
- For John Hilgert’s family, attorney Richard Mithoff said they would not allow someone else to pay for the funeral.3CNN. Travis Scott Astroworld Funeral Costs
- Attorney Philip Corboy Jr. confirmed that the families of Franco Patino and Jacob Jurinek both declined.3CNN. Travis Scott Astroworld Funeral Costs
- Attorney James Lassiter confirmed the family of Bharti Shahani declined.3CNN. Travis Scott Astroworld Funeral Costs
- The family of Rodolfo “Rudy” Peña initially said they had “yet to consider” the offer, and their attorney later confirmed they also turned it down.3CNN. Travis Scott Astroworld Funeral Costs
The BBC reported that families broadly viewed the offer as an attempt to “lessen public outcry.” Several specifically criticized the delivery, calling a letter from an attorney in Beverly Hills “demeaning and inappropriate” given that lawsuits were already being filed.6BBC News. Astroworld Victims’ Families Reject Travis Scott Funeral Offer
The Other Things Scott Announced
Alongside the funeral offer, Scott announced a partnership with the online therapy platform BetterHelp to provide one month of free virtual therapy to concertgoers through his Cactus Jack Foundation. That initiative drew its own criticism. BetterHelp’s services were limited to people 18 and older, excluding the many teenagers who attended, and Scott initially posted an incorrect phone number in his Instagram bio that routed callers to a recorded message about Social Security and insurance before BuzzFeed News flagged the error.7BuzzFeed News. Travis Scott Therapy Instagram Number Critics also questioned BetterHelp’s data privacy practices and whether text-based online therapy was an adequate response to the trauma concertgoers experienced.8Rolling Stone. Travis Scott’s Astroworld BetterHelp Offer
In March 2022, Scott announced a $5 million philanthropic initiative called Project HEAL through the Cactus Jack Foundation. The announced commitments included $1 million for HBCU scholarships, funding for a free children’s mental health program led by a Houston-based behavioral health expert, a seven-figure expansion of a youth design center in Houston, and a donation to the U.S. Conference of Mayors Task Force on Event Safety.9Complex. Travis Scott Launches Project HEAL Community Initiatives Donates 5 Million Dollars Available reporting covers only the announcement; whether the funds were fully disbursed or the programs became operational has not been publicly confirmed.
How the Money Did Eventually Change Hands
While the funeral offers went nowhere, the families recovered through litigation. More than 4,000 attendees filed hundreds of lawsuits against Scott, Live Nation, and other parties. All ten wrongful death cases were ultimately settled on confidential terms. The first to resolve was the Acosta family’s case in October 2022, and the last was the Blount family’s in May 2024.10Billboard. Final Astroworld Wrongful Death Lawsuit Settled Live Nation disclosed in a 2024 quarterly filing that it had reached approximately $280 million in total Astroworld-related settlements.11Variety. Live Nation Record Revenue Astroworld Settlements 280 Million
The individual breakdowns of those settlements, and the share paid by Scott personally versus Live Nation and other defendants, have not been made public.