CAVE-IN-ROCK - A Juggalo, or fan of the Insane Clown Posse musical group, died Friday evening at the annual Gathering of the Juggalos, a four day-event in its second year at Cave-In-Rock.

Curt Brown, 33, of Holly, Mich., was pronounced dead at 7:19 p.m. Friday, said Hardin County Coroner Roger Little.

Brown, 33, was with friends who left for a short time and returned to find him dead in a tent, the coroner said.

Toxicology tests are being conducted, and it appears Brown's death may be drug-related or a result of natural causes, Little said.

There was no sign of foul play, and there were indications of possible drug use, the coroner said.

No other deaths at the event have been reported this year. The Hardin County Sheriff's Department and the Illinois State Police have not yet released numbers regarding arrests for this year's Gathering, which runs through tonight.

The event drew about 7,000 attendees last year, and as many as 10,000 were said to be expected this year.

The Gathering poses financial and law enforcement challenges for Hardin County, which has a population of less than 5,000.

Last year, Sheriff Tom Seiner gathered as much help as he could from agencies including Illinois State Police and the U.S. Forest Service. Seiner estimated the county spent about $10,000 to $12,000 policing the area during the event.

The sheriff's department this year received a roughly $8,000 grant to help offset its costs, and Seiner and state police commanders were planning a large police presence similar to that of last year's.

Although arrests were made for dozens of traffic and drug-related offenses in 2007, Seiner called the Juggalos generally well-behaved. The one death that occurred last year was heat-related.

The Gathering, hosted by the band and its record label, Psychopathic Records, includes performances by more than 100 bands, carnival rides and wrestling.

The Insane Clown Posse is made up of Joseph Bruce and Joseph Utsler, who come from the Delray neighborhood of southwest Detroit. They perform as Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope, respectively.

Their music is generally described as a hardcore variation of hip hop called horrorcore.

The Insane Clown Posse's dedicated and international fan base, the Juggalos, follow a mythology called the Dark Carnival derived from six of the band's albums, and a subculture that includes face-painting and a hardcore style of wrestling has emerged.

Open drug use, nudity and sex have been noted at the annual Gatherings.

While last year's Gathering alarmed some in Southern Illinois, merchants in the area said the fans presented few or no problems and provided much-needed business.

mark.fitton@thesouthern.com / 351-8507