'Beauty and the Beast' Actor Devon Staples Dead After Lighting a Firework on His Head

Tragedy struck this Fourth of July when Disney World actor Devon Staples, who used to play Gaston from Beauty and the Beast, died after attempting to launch a firework off the top of his head.

According to WUSA 9, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety Stephen McCausland claims that the 22-year-old was playing with fireworks Saturday night in a friend's backyard and decided to try the deadly stunt of setting off a mortar tube on the top of his head, which killed him instantly.

The Calais, Maine native was apparently drinking that night he was killed, the police stated. Staples' brother Cody Staples revealed to the New York Daily News that he was holding a lighter and set off the firework by accident.

"There was no rushing him to the hospital. There was no Devon left when I got there," Cody said Sunday. "It was a freak accident ... But Devon was not the kind of person who would do something stupid. He was the kind of person who would pretend to do something stupid to make people laugh."

ABC reported that Staples' friends claim that they warned him to stop clowning around when the freak accident happened.

"Apparently, he thought that was a great idea," the spokesman, McCausland said. "His friends they thought dissuaded him from doing it, and the next thing they knew, he ignited the fireworks and he was killed instantly."

Staples was recently engaged, and was living in Orlando, Florida where he was formerly employed at Disney World.

The CPSD had previously released a graphic YouTube video warning firework users that professional fireworks can be very dangerous, and can blow off someone's head in an instant.

Friends, Disney lovers, and even strangers posted good and bad remarks in regards to Staples' death via Facebook.

RIP Devon.