CALAIS, Maine – The Disney actor who won hearts as “Gaston” has died in a fireworks incident over the weekend.
According to the state Department of Public Safety, 22-year-old Devon Staples placed a fireworks mortar tube on his head and set it off.
He died instantly after the firework exploded.
WCSH reported Staples and his friends were drinking at the time of the incident.
It reportedly happened in the backyard of one of Staples’ friend’s homes in Calais, Maine.
The NY Daily News said Staples’ brother Cody told officers Devon was joking around with the firework and lighter when it accidentally ignited.
“There was no rushing him to the hospital. There was no Devon left when I got there,” Cody told the Daily News. “It was a freak accident … But Devon was not the kind of person who would do something stupid. He was the kind of person who would pretend to do something stupid to make people laugh.”
Devon was living in Orlando, Florida, where he worked at Disney World.
Officials say this is the first fireworks-attributed death in Maine since they were legalized two years ago.
It was revealed on Monday that Staples, who lived in Orlando, used to work as Beauty and the Beast character “Gaston” at Walt Disney World.
He was most recently working as a dog walker.
One of Devon’s friends, who identified herself as Kara, posted a video of Staples performing as “Gaston.”
