Former Disney World Gaston Dies in Fireworks Accident

A former Walt Disney World cast member died after lighting fireworks on his head, several news outlets reported over the weekend.

Devon Staples, 22, of Calais, Maine, was at a 4th of July party Saturday when he attempted to set a firework mortar tube off using his head as a platform, the Associated Press reported.

“Apparently, he thought that was a great idea,” Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety, was quoted by the AP as saying. “His friends they thought dissuaded him from doing it, and the next thing they knew, he ignited the fireworks and he was killed instantly.”

Staples was a native of Maine, but lived in Orlando, the New York Daily News reported. He was a former Disney World employee, who portrayed characters in custom and spoke with park visitors, his brother, Cody, told the daily news.

“He loved making people happy,” Cody Staples was quoted by the paper as saying.

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