Key West bouncer dies after falling down the stairs at The Green Room bar, police said

A 28-year-old Key West man died Saturday night after falling down the stairs at a bar where he worked as a bouncer, police said.

Matthew Richard Farge was escorting a man down the stairs at The Green Room bar, 501 Greene St., when he collapsed and fell, according to police spokeswoman Alyson Crean.

“He struck his head and was unconscious when paramedics were called,” Crean said in a press release.

The fall was an accident and no foul play is suspected, Crean said.

But Key West police and the county medical examiner are still investigating.

Farge was taken to the Lower Keys Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead Sunday morning.

The death happened during one of Key West’s busiest nights of the year, the final night of the 10-day-long Fantasy Fest. The Green Room has a second-story bar.

On Sunday evening, several of Farge’s friends were gathered at The Green Room consoling one another.

“He was the most lovable person ever,” said Payton McConnell, 27, of Key West. “He always greeted everybody with a smile no matter who they were. No matter what he did, he was happy.”

The bar’s owner couldn’t be immediately reached.

Farge was originally from South Africa, friends said. He also worked at Mr. Z’s pizza restaurant.

This is a developing story.

This story was originally published October 27, 2019 at 7:37 PM.

Gwen Filosa

Miami Herald

Gwen Filosa covers Key West and the Lower Florida Keys for FLKeysNews.com and the Miami Herald and lives in Key West. She was part of the staff at the New Orleans Times-Picayune that in 2005 won two Pulitzer Prizes for coverage of Hurricane Katrina. She graduated from Indiana University.