CALAIS, Maine -- A man who died trying to launch a firework off the top of his head for the Fourth of July used to perform as Gaston at Disney World.
Stephen McCausland, a spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety, said 22-year-old Devon Staples of Calais, Maine was setting off fireworks with friends on Saturday night in the backyard of a friend's home. Staples put a fireworks mortar tube on his head and set it off. He died instantly, according to McCausland.
Police say the friends had been drinking. His brother told the New York Daily News that Staples was holding a lighter and accidentally set off the firework.
Later, it was revealed that Staples had worked at Disney World as "Beauty and the Beast" character Gaston. Staples was a former Orlando resident who worked as a performer at Disney World, according to the New York Daily News. A Facebook friend posted a photo of Staples in costume.
McCausland says Staples' death marks Maine's first fireworks fatality since the state legalized fireworks in 2012.
Contributing: The Associated Press
