A 35-year-old executive at Yelp fell to her death at the Grand Canyon, after she stepped aside to make room for another tourist while taking pictures this week. Colleen Burns was based in Florida and was also a leader of an online fan community for the popular DJ Kaskade.
According to the Daily Mail, Burns was hiking the Grand Canyon with two friends, when she fell 400 feet to her death. Here is how one of those friends described what happened:
‘She was stepping out of the way for another gentleman to kind of squeeze in, and unfortunately, Colleen kind of got tripped up on her own feet and fell backwards, fell into the canyon,’ her friend Jessica Roman told WESH.
The friends were at Ooh Aah Point, a part of the canyon known for its views of the sunrise. Burns had posted an Instagram of herself enjoying the view, before her death:
Burns worked as a regional marketing director for Yelp in Orlando, Florida. The company credited her with launching their operations in that city. You can read their full statement below:
.@Yelp calls death of Colleen Burns, its Southeastern Cities Marketing Director, "a tremendous loss." @WESH pic.twitter.com/eNfakeZevB
— Alex Villarreal (@AlexV_TV) July 11, 2016
Burns was also well-known as a Kaskade fan, starting the community Kaskade Konnect. The musician posted on Facebook about how she was one of his first and most vocal fans.
He also dedicated a song to her:
@kaskade thank you SO SOO much for this tribute to @ColleenBurns earlier today. #RIPMamaKK #ForeverinourHearts pic.twitter.com/X2xjV9MfpK
— IVAN (@ivanlu21) July 10, 2016
Another fan got a tattoo of Kaskade song lyrics in tribute to Burns:
https://twitter.com/wiffanytood15/status/752298906633986049
Other friends posted similar tributes on Twitter:
This love is brighter
This life is higher
One heart is wider
One heart
We are one heart because of you @ColleenBurns pic.twitter.com/U7CCcRrslJ— ✨Erika (@kakasworld) July 10, 2016
https://twitter.com/_happygolucky_/status/752209614892961793
Colleen Burns, 1st @Yelp Orlando Community Manager, has passed away. There are no words. Hoping to find some soon. pic.twitter.com/iZTKOPSbl5
— #YelpOrlando (@YelpOrlando) July 10, 2016
https://twitter.com/ItsJHawk/status/752003346773442560
Burns seemed like a kind, positive person, who made an impact on a lot of people around her. It’s not a surprise that the tributes keep pouring in.
(Via Daily Mail)