'The Best Dude On Earth': Trevor Engelbrektson Remembered For Impact On Twin Cities Music Scene

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Minneapolis music community came together to pay tribute to Trevor Engelbrektson, and to lift up his family.

Friends gathered at Mortimer's Tuesday night to remember Engelbrektson, who died last week -- along with two members of the British indie duo Her's -- when a wrong-way driver struck their tour van on Interstate 10 in Arizona. Engelbrektson was the band's tour manager.

He was a staple in the Minneapolis music scene.

"He was one of those people that was the glue that held it all together," said KFAI radio personality Doc.

He did it all: managed bands, booked tours, was a sound tech and played bass.

"He did all of these things with class. If you ever worked with Trevor you knew you were in good hands. He was truly one of a kind. I can't even believe I'm talking about him in the past tense," said friend Ryan Mach.

With a montage of pictures rolling behind, bands played at Mortimer's to celebrate Engelbrektson's life, a guy they call "the best dude on earth."

A musician and family man, Engelbrektson and his wife Marvel have two sons, ages 4 and 1.

"The whole Twin Cities community is stepping up, but that's what you expect when it's somebody like Trevor who was part of the community," said Gabriel Douglas of the band The 4onthefloor. "He was passionate about his family and music and his friends."

Friends say he never met a stranger.

"I didn't know him for very long. He always greeted me with a smile and a hug," said friend Conor Donnelly.

"He's always been a cool guy that's been in my heart," said Brendan Johnson, Engelbrektson's college roommate. "Hearing about the tragedy just really hurt, so anything we can do to help out Marvel and the kids, we've got to be here."

So many shared hugs and glances filled with grief to honor someone who gave so much of himself to so many in his 37 years.

"He meant the world, and we lost part of the world," Douglas said.

Mortimer's is still tallying how much was raised for Engelbrektson's family. People have already donated more than $100,000 for his family through GoFundMe.