Brazilian state singer Marilia Mendonca was killed on Friday with his manager and aide when their small plane traveled in crashing into the State Minas Gerais.
The Mendonca press office said in a statement that his producer, Henrique Ribeiro, Aide Abicieli Silveira Dias Filho and the pilot and the aircraft co-pilot was also killed in the accident.
Marilia Mendonca rose for fame as an icon of the Brazilian country music style “Sertananejo,” won the 2019 Latin Grammy for an album in the category.
He has posted on social media videos that boarded the previous plane on Friday.
See this post on Instagram posts distributed by Marilia Mendonça (@mariliamendoncantora)
The planes departed from the city of Midwestern Goiania to Caratinga, where 26-year-old Mendonca had a concert scheduled at the end of Friday, according to the G1 news site.
The cause of the accident was being investigated but the company managed by the Cemig government said in a statement that the aircraft collided with the electrical distribution line owned by the company before hitting the ground.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Twitter that the whole country was surprised by the news, adding that Mendonca was one of the biggest artists of his generation.
“We feel like losing someone who is very close to us,” Bolsonaro tweeted.
Last year, when the Covid-19 pandemic leads to extensive locking in Brazil, a direct broadcast of concerts by Mendonca drawing 3.3 million short viewers, world record for YouTube.