Written by Staff Writer, CNN
Travis Scott recently made headlines after offering to pay for the funeral of a 9-year-old boy killed at the “Astroworld” launch event in Houston. The Houston-born rapper appeared on ABC’s “Good Morning America” Wednesday morning to discuss his decision.
In the interview, Scott said he felt a deep connection to Isabella Castro after seeing a tribute video she made of one of his songs when she was just two years old.
“She was always just a smiling, happy kid. Every time she met me, she’d smile and get this big smile on her face and just hug the walls and she just always had a huge heart. Every time I went to her school I just saw a smile, and just saw happiness,” Scott said.
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But Scott could have never imagined the kind of impact his gesture would have.
On Wednesday, Castro’s family announced that they had declined the offer, explaining that their daughter had “strong religious beliefs” and would “never allow strangers to do anything to her.”
The statement, released to CNN by their lawyer David Gilleon, says that Travis Scott’s offer to have his body flown from Los Angeles to Houston on his private jet didn’t fit with their values and it wouldn’t have honored their daughter’s wishes.
They also rejected Scott’s offer to make an “unprecedented” donation to the church they attend for funerals and burial services, saying it would be like “shaking hands with Satan.”
“We thank Travis Scott for his gesture of kindness but we refuse his request to fly her remains out to our city for her funeral and burial,” the statement read.
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The family also expressed their gratitude to the people who had rallied behind the family in the wake of Castro’s death, and noted that many had created a GoFundMe page to help pay for an appropriate burial.
They explained that they were getting enough money to support services for her burial, but that they didn’t want “further financial strains and demands” and would not be issuing further comments on the matter.
Scott, who is “still in shock,” later revealed to “Good Morning America” that he had reached out to the Castro family but said he did not receive an immediate reply.
Castro was fatally stabbed in the neck at the event on Saturday afternoon, her mother told the media.
Houston-born rapper Travis Scott took to Facebook on Tuesday to post a tribute to the young girl, writing: “She’s the best. She was everything you could ever want in a friend. She was a bright light with big dreams and hopes for the future. They had a big parade in my hometown for her today.”
But despite his big request, Scott admitted he was having trouble coping with the tragedy.
“Nobody deserves to experience this. I’m very grateful, it’s a miracle, it’s, it’s everything,” he said.