LAKEVIEW — Police are investigating the death of a 27-year-old who was found unresponsive at a popular Lakeview nightclub early Saturday morning.
The incident occurred at 4:42 a.m. at the Berlin nightclub on the 900 block of West Belmont. Police said the victim, a 27-year-old, was transported to Illinois Masonic hospital, where they were pronounced dead.
A friend of the person who died confirmed with Block Club that they were non-binary and used they/them pronouns.
As of Sunday evening, the individual had not been publicly identified by the Cook County medical examiner’s office. A spokesman for the medical examiner said the victim’s next of kin had not been notified and that the cause of death was “pending additional testing.”
Berlin nightclub confirmed the incident on social media outlets and on a posting outside the club.
Located in Lakeview just west of the Belmont Red Line station, Berlin has long been a nightlife mainstay on the city’s north side, known for welcoming the LGBTQ+ community and hosting a vibrant drag scene.
The post said that the club would be closed Saturday out of respect for the person who died.
“Berlin Nightclub is deeply saddened by the loss of one of our own last night,” the post reads. “Our thoughts go out to this beautiful person’s family and friends as they grapple with the untimely loss of this young life.”
Miranda Lung, a friend of the individual who died, said in an email to Block Club that their friend was passionate about technology and a voracious reader. Lung said they enjoyed making games, making websites and making videos about fashion and decoration.
They were pursuing a successful career in software, she said, and helped welcome people of color into the field.
“I’m proud of them and I think I always will be,” Lung wrote. “I’m so sad that they won’t get to continue, and that we won’t get to share our joy anymore.”
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