Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Bootsy Collins' nephew, Kyle Willis, passed away Tuesday after a tooth infection spread to his brain.
The single father, 24, went to the emergency room about two weeks ago with a painful toothache, Bootsy Collins' wife Patti Collins told the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Willis, who was unemployed and did not have medical insurance, could not afford the $27 antibiotic doctors prescribed. The infection apparently spread to his brain, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. Collins tells the newspaper Willis was combative, delirious and barely able to speak when the ambulance picked him up Tuesday.
“He was a picture of health, a handsome, vibrant, talented, intelligent young man,” she told the Cincinnati Enquirer. “I just hope this never happens to anyone else.”
Collins said she intends to write to President Obama and Congress to tell them what happened to Willis, who leaves behind a six-year-old daughter.
“We have got to make a difference with our health care,” she said, as reported by the newspaper. “With people losing their jobs, they’re having to make serious choices – do I eat, or do I get my medicine? It’s crazy. And this is America.”
The Collinses have set up a fund to cover the expenses of Willis’ funeral and raising his daughter. Donations to the Kyle Willis Memorial Fund may be made online at www.bootsycollinsfoundation.org.
