In Reno, a 10 year veteran of the Burning Man crew died on the site of the annual festival weeks before the opening day. Scott "Spoono" Stephenson died from what appears to be natural causes on Wednesday on "the playa" of Black Rock City, according to USA Today.
Stephenson was part of Burning Man's Department of Public Works that built Black Rock City over the course of August.
Stephenson had been helping with the preparations for the 2015 Burning Man since April, when he assisted in Gerlach, just outside the Burning Man location.
Organizers of the festival said that Stephenson was "generous to a fault" and participated in various charities affiliated with Burning Man, according to NBC News.
As a founding member of Black Rock Solar, Stephenson helped provide low-cost energy services to clients in the nonprofit, public, low-income and educational sectors, according to the Reno Gazette Journal.
The cause of death is still under investigation according to Pershing County Sheriff Department's Sgt. Mike Stephens.
