The stepson of British billionaire Hamish Harding spoke out about his decision to attend a Blink-182 concert, saying that the band's music has helped him get through life's toughest times.
Brian Szasz, 37, took to social media Tuesday to defend himself from criticism for his decision to see the rock band live amid a rescue mission to find his stepfather, as well as four other passengers, onboard a submersible that went missing Sunday on a tour to view the wreckage of the RMS Titanic.
"Yes I went to @blink-182 last night," Szasz wrote on his Instagram Stories on Tuesday alongside a photo of him at the venue. "What am I supposed to do sit at home and watch the news? Not sorry this band has helped me through hard times since 1998."
Szasz first shared that he had attended the Blink-182 concert in a since-deleted Facebook post, where he wrote, "It might be distasteful being here but my family would want me to be at the blink-182 show as it's my favorite band and music helps me in difficult times!" according to a screenshot obtained by TMZ.
He later removed the post, noting that his mom Linda "asked me to delete all related posts. Thanks for the support."
Meanwhile, on Twitter, Szasz reached out to Blink-182 band members Tom DeLonge, Travis Barker, and Mark Hoppus.
"My stepdad Hamish is on this submarine lost at sea," Szasz tweeted. "I'm devastated but coming to the San Diego show tonight so you guys can give me hope and cheer me up."
The 21-foot submersible was approximately an hour and 45 minutes into its dive to view the wreckage of the Titanic, which sank in 1912, when it lost contact with Canadian Research Vessel Polar Prince on June 18, according to the United States Coast Guard News.
The submersible, named Titan, was part of an OceanGate Expeditions tour that explores the Titanic, located approximately 900 nautical miles East of Cape Cod.
"Our entire focus is on the crew members in the submersible and their families," OceanGate said in a statement, obtained by NBC News. "We are deeply thankful for the extensive assistance we have received from several government agencies and deep sea companies in our efforts to reestablish contact with the submersible."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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