Ben Kweller and wife Liz share obituary for 16-year-old son and plan to launch memorial fund

Ben Kweller and his wife Liz have shared an obituary for their son, who passed away last month, and launched a GoFundMe page to help create a memorial fund.

In February, Dorian Kweller was tragically killed following a car accident in Texas. He was aged 16. An aspiring musician and rapper under the alias ZEV, the emerging artist was set to make his live debut later this week at SXSW Festival in Austin.

Now, coming up to a month since his passing, the late musician’s parents have shared an obituary online, and organised a GoFundMe page to support the Dorian Kweller Memorial Fund.

“Dorian was a spiritual person who perceived deeper meaning in life,” the statement read. “He was authentic, kind and generous. He saw the good in everyone and was never embarrassed to be himself because he was confident in who he was.

“In his short life, Dorian radiated positivity and spread it to everyone he touched. He was brave, adventurous, and lived each day to the fullest. […] We know that his powerful light and music will continue to make this world a happier, more peaceful place.”

The obituary also continued to shed light on the circumstances around Dorian Kweller’s death, describing the event as a “freak car accident” that occurred after he swerved to avoid an oncoming truck.

Alongside the heartfelt obituary, which can be viewed in full on Consequence, both Ben and Liz Kweller are asking for donations to be made to help create the Dorian Kweller Memorial Fund. Having already raised over £144,000 (USD $174,000), the page explains that the couple aspire to turn the fund into a non-profit organisation – designed to help musicians and skateboarders by supporting initiatives within those communities.

Further information about the Dorian Kweller Memorial Fund and the option to donate to the cause is available on the GoFundMe website.

Last month, Ben Kweller, the singer-songwriter who has shared stages with the likes of Death Cab For Cutie and Ed Sheeran, shared the news of his son’s passing on Instagram. Here, he requested that the music community help to continue listening to his son’s music and share their memories with him to “keep his spirit alive”.