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Sibley, a 28-year-old trained dancer who studied with the Philadelphia Dance Company, was killed while dancing and vogueing in what police are describing as a possible hate crime at a Brooklyn gas station, CBS News reports.
In response, Beyonce's team updated her homepage to read "Rest In Power O'Shae Sibley."
In a statement posted to Facebook, the Philadelphia Dance Company said Sibley had trained there for half his life since he was 14.
"This news is absolutely heartbreaking and we believe no one deserves to be targeted for simply being themselves and living in their truth," Philadanco wrote. "We are keeping high hopes that Justice will be served. He will be missed dearly."
Otis Pena, a friend of Sibley's, said in a Facebook video that he was there when the 28-year-old was fatally stabbed.
“They murdered him because he’s gay, because he stood up for his friends,” Pena told the camera tearfully. "They killed him."
Pena said the group was out that night celebrating a birthday.
In a GoFundMe post, Sibley's father Jake Kelly called the killing an "undeserved hate crime incident that cut my son's life down just because of his sexual preference."
"O'Shae not only was the glue to this family, he was a great dancer and performer for the majority of his life. His spirit lit up every room he stepped in," his father wrote.
Kelly says the family is raising money to bring Sibley's remains home to Philly for burial. As of Wednesday, Aug. 2, donors had pledged more than $40,000 on the family's behalf.
"His smile was contagious," Sibley's father said. "To know him was to love him. He did not deserve this."
Click here to support O'Shae Sibley's family on GoFundMe.com.
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