According to various reports, the death toll from the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Nepal on Saturday has risen to over 1,300 individuals.
At least 10 of the deceased were attempting to scale Mount Everest, with the first reported American death being that of Dan Fredinburg.
A Google executive based in California, Fredinburg has a connection to Hollywood:
He dated Sophia Bush for a long period of time before the couple split in February of last year.
Upon learning of the tragic news, the former One Tree Hill actress and ongoing Chicago PD star posted a heartfelt message on Instagram.
"There are no adequate words. Today I find myself attempting to pick up the pieces of my heart that have broken into such tiny shards, I'll likely never find them all," Bush wrote.
"Today I, and so many of my loved ones, lost an incredible friend. Dan Fredinburg was one-of-a-kind. Fearless. Funny. A dancing robot who liked to ride dinosaurs and chase the sun and envision a better future for the world."
She continued:
His brain knew how to build it. His heart was constantly evolving to push himself to make it so. He was one of my favorite human beings on Earth. He was one of the great loves of my life. He was one of my truest friends. He was an incredible brother, a brilliant engineer, and a damn good man. I'm devastated and simultaneously so deeply grateful to have known and loved him, and to have counted him as one of my tribe.
I was so looking forward to our planned download of "all the things" when he got home. I am crushed that I will never hear that story. I am crushed knowing that there are over 1,000 people in Nepal suffering this exact feeling, knowing that they too will never hear another tale about an adventure lived from someone that they love. Disasters like this are often unquantifiable, the enormity is too much to understand.
Please remember that each person who is now gone was someone's Dan. Please remember that our time on this Earth is not guaranteed. Please tell those you love that you do. Right now. This very minute. And please send a kiss to the sky for my friend Dan.
His energy is so big and so bright, and it's all around us, so put some love toward him today. And then hug your loved ones again.
The earthquake struck around 1:56 a.m. ET, generating at least 15 aftershocks and triggering avalanches on Everest.
We send our thoughts and prayers to all affected by this natural disaster.
