Only Summer Loves October - Ryden

Monday 7th December 1992

Third Confirmed Death Following Atlanta Hotel Fire

The girlfriend of guitarist and former lead singer of The Weeds, Ryan Ross, has been named as the third person killed in the devastating fire in an Atlanta hotel at the weekend.

Sophie Coles from Chicago, Illinois died in the fire which started around 5:40pm on Saturday at The Regency Hotel. Sophie, 24, was a music journalist who was visiting the city with a friend to see The Weeds on their latest tour of America. It's believed that Sophie was in one of the top floor rooms as the fire broke out which left her unable to escape. The hotel has confirmed that the entire top floor was reserved for the band and their management for the duration of their stay in Atlanta.

There has been no comment directly from Ryan Ross regarding this tragedy or recent events involving the couple. At the end of September, a 23 year old male, Edward Pozorski, was arrested in New York after he was suspected and later found guilty of kidnapping and torturing three teenage girls, and for the murder of 19 year old Claire Harlow. When inspecting the crime scene, police found several pictures of Ryan Ross and the girls involved in his crime all had a striking resemblance to Sophie Coles. After being found guilty, Mr Pozorski has been admitted to a high security psychiatric facility. Since his arrest, Edward Pozorski has made only one statement, in which he said: "Ryan will understand why I want to be like him, and when he does, he will forgive me."

Pete Wentz, band manager and friend of the couple has said: "This is tragic news, we are all in complete shock. Sophie was very passionate about the music industry and our thoughts and condolences are with her family at this sad time." With only two weeks left of The Weeds' fourth tour, it's not yet known whether any remaining dates will be postponed or cancelled.

The fire broke out on the 18th floor of the 22-story building in what's been described as the country's worst building fire in years. At least three people have been killed and twelve were treated in hospital. Many people escaped down the staircases, but the scale of the fire meant that people on the top floors were unable to get out until the fire service arrived. The cause of the fire has not yet been confirmed, although it's suspected to be due to an electrical fault in the hotel elevator.