Owners of The Fez on Broadway say the 27-year-old man who fell to his death Thursday night didn't appear intoxicated.

The man had one drink at the bar and another at the table, said Simion Ionce, co-owner of the Fez.

"He didn't look drunk to me but it was a little weird that he was wearing his sunglasses," said Ionce, adding that the man and his three friends were going in and out for smokes throughout the night.

According to Ionce, there have never been problems with the stairs before.

But late Thursday night, around 11:40 p.m., emergency response crews were called to the nightclub in the 800 block of Broadway Avenue.

Police say the man - who has not been identified - had gone into medical distress after hitting his head at the bottom of the stairs. MD Ambulance took him to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

The cause of the death is still being investigated but police say foul play is not suspected.

A local hip-hop artist, who was performing at the Fez, said he met the man minutes before the show.

"I met him probably like 15 minutes before this happened. A couple friends of mine had brought him with them to the show," said Matt Brotzel, who goes by the stage name Rational.

Brotzel was just starting his set at The Fez nightclub Thursday night when the fatal fall happened.

"I went over there and he was lying at the bottom of the stairs in a pool of his own blood and he wasn't responsive. People were freaking out and calling 911 and some people started vomiting. It was pretty gruesome."

Brotzel said the image from the incident will stay with him for a long time.

"Something like that happens and it puts things in perspective. You realize how short life can be and there are a lot more important things than hip-hop."

With files from News Talk Radio's Trelle Burdeniuk

fsuen@rawlco.com