Detroit Mother Collapses, Dies While Filming Daughter's School Holiday Concert
DETROIT (WWJ) - The family of a 39-year-old mother of three who unexpectedly died a week before Christmas is asking for the public's help in laying their loved one to rest.
TeQuoia Alexander, who goes by her middle name Tasha, was looking forward to the annual concert at Detroit's Mumford High School this year more than ever -- her 14-year-old daughter LaNaya was performing a solo.
Alexander was in the audience Tuesday night, anxiously waiting for her daughter to take the stage with her video camera rolling. Her grandmother, Rose Peterson, was sitting by her side.
"When Naya did her part, I nudged her and said 'Tasha, listen at our baby sing!' and she didn't comment. So I turned and looked at her and she had this funny look and I said 'Tasha! Tasha!' and her head went back and that was it," Peterson told WWJ's Vickie Thomas, getting emotional. "I started screaming and I really lost it."
Alexander collapsed to the floor as stunned onlookers rushed over to help. Good Samaritans tried to revive Alexander before she was transported to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The remainder of the concert was canceled.
An autopsy was performed Wednesday, although Alexander's cause of death has not yet been revealed. Authorities said it would be at least two weeks before toxicology results could perhaps shed a light on her death.
Alexander's family is left picking up the pieces, just days before Christmas. Her 23-year-old son Antwon said he just can't wrap his head around his mother's sudden death. It's also been really hard on his 18-year-old sister, Sierra.
"It seems like it's, you know, all a dream. But it's like something that I can't wake up out of because it's not a dream. It just shows me how precious life is," he said, breaking down.
Alexander's family is now struggling to pay for the unexpected funeral expenses and they're reaching out to the public for help. Donations are being accepted at all PNC Bank branches, under an account in TeQuoia Alexander's name.
