After tragic death, NJ teen’s band performs concert in his honor

A day after his sudden death, 18-year-old Adam Rarela's band My Lonely Heart played a concert as scheduled in Howell on Saturday night.

"Thank you to everyone who watched our set last night and has been showing us nothing but love and support the past few days. It means the world to us and Adam's family and friends. We know he's super proud," the band tweeted on Sunday.

"We're still playing our show tomorrow with Bad Case of Big Mouth, because we know that's exactly what Adam would want. On top of it, a good portion of our merch (sp) sales will go to the Rarela family," the band posted on its Facebook page.

According to the band's website Rarela, a graduate of Marlboro High School,  was taking a break from the band to concentrate on entering Kean University in September.

Rarela was a passenger in a box truck that rear-ended a dump truck on Route 9 in Old Bridge on Friday morning.

Rarela's funeral is scheduled for Wednesday at St. Gabriel Catholic Church in Marlboro at 10 a.m. Visitation will be Tuesday from 4 to 8 p.m. at Clayton & McGirr Funeral Home, 100 Elton-Adelphia Road (Route 524), Freehold Township. Memorial contributions in Adam’s name may be made to St. Gabriel Catholic Church

His brother CJ posted a touching message on his Facebook page talking about how proud he and his family were of the 18-year-old, along with a video of them performing the song "Ripped Away from Me."

"Adam... he was really something, you know? Too much energy for his own good. He was kind. He was loyal. He was the best friend he could ever be to his best friends. He was a loving boyfriend. He was a growing musician that was constantly made everyone smile way before even strumming that first chord, singing a few notes, or beating the living s**t out of his drum set," his brother wrote.