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The identity of the man who died on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas during an Atlantis cruise has been revealed, and his family is seeking answers.
The identity of the man who died during the “world’s biggest gay festival at sea" has been revealed, along with the alleged details surrounding the circumstances of his untimely passing.
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Jonathan Mindrum, 36, died on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas at around 3 a.m. on January 24, the Washington Blade reports, shortly before the ship was scheduled to reach San Juan, Puerto Rico, at 7 a.m. on January 24.
While the ship left from Miami on January 21 and returned January 28, Mindrum’s body is still in Puerto Rico at a local funeral home, according to his sister Jennifer Mindrum, whose identity was verified by the outlet after she posted on social media asking for information about her brother's death.
"My brother died Wednesday morning ... on the cruise ship. We have received hardly any information from the cruise line," she wrote in a post on Reddit.
One user responded, writing that “I believe I saw him die." He alleged that Mindrum's death occurred at the Neon Playground party in Studio B, an entertainment venue that is converted into a nightclub, where the music stopped around 3 a.m. to announce a "code alpha alpha alpha" -- code for a life-threatening medical emergency.
The commenter claimed that Mindrum was unresponsive where he was seated, and was then taken to the ship's medical center by their care team. He added that “the rumor mill aboard the ship is saying that he took a fentanyl-laced ecstasy tablet that he purchased on board."
The claims could not be verified by the outlet, and have not been confirmed by law enforcement or the cruise line, but CEO Rich Campbell confirmed Mindrum's identity to the Blade.
“Mr. Mindrum did unfortunately pass away onboard Oasis last week, but the circumstances regarding his death were not suspicious,” he said. “We are very saddened by this loss and our condolences go out to his friends and family.”
Unconfirmed reports suggest that there were at least five instances of an “alpha alpha alpha” alert issued during the voyage. It is also not the first time that a passenger has died on an Atlantis Events chartered cruise, with four such cases confirmed in recent years.
Craig Mindrum, Jonathan Mindrum’s father, told the outlet that his son was a “brilliant person as a professional consultant and thinker.”
“He had a very bright future ahead of him, so losing him is a loss not just to us but to the world,” he said. “We are in the depths of grief about losing Jonathan, and we also have important questions about the circumstances of his death and emergency services provided to him."
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