Acrobat Plunges to Death at FBR Open Dinner in Arizona

Tuesday's FBR Open dinner -- a formal affair for around 700 people -- was cut short after an acrobat who was performing stunts involving chains fell from the rafters and died.

With the economy in shambles and the PGA Tour quietly struggling to keep certain sponsors, some of the more elaborate events are kept quiet, so as not to flash wealth in the public face. It certainly can't help matters when just before the first tournament featuring one of the Big Two, a performer (not pictured) dies while providing entertainment.

The man was performing an acrobatic stunt involving chains in front of hundreds of people. As he was unraveling the chains, he fell from the rafters onto the ground. Witnesses said he fell on his head.

A server explained that the ground is asphalt and that there were no supports or safety nets.

The report from ABC15 said that doctors performed CPR on the performer for 15 minutes after the accident. The acrobat, San Diego resident Jose Angel Vera, 33, was from Aerial Artistry, a five-person team, and has been performing for 16 years.

As you might expect, the FBR (which stands for "Friedman, Billings, Ramsey Group, Inc.") Open dinner was cut short after this occurred. Appetizers and clinking champagne glasses just doesn't seem fitting when a man paid to entertain you isn't breathing anymore.