Marília Mendonça, a Latin Grammy winner and one of Brazil’s most prominent singers, died in an aircraft accident on her way to a concert on Friday. She was 26 years old at the time.
In a statement, Mendonça’s press office acknowledged her death, as well as the deaths of four other passengers aboard the aircraft. Their jet crashed between Goiania, Mendonça’s hometown, and Caratinga, a tiny town in Minas Gerais state, north of Rio de Janeiro.
Mendonça’s death was also verified by the civil police of Minas Gerais state, but no specifics regarding the reason of the tragedy, which happened just before his arrival, were provided. The jet was seen and videoed lying right beneath a waterfall; Mendonça had released a video on Friday afternoon showing her approach to the plane with her guitar box in hand.
The news triggered a social media outpouring of grief from all parts of Brazil, including fans, politicians, singers, and soccer players, on Friday evening. Her Instagram account has a following of 38 million people.