Plane crash in Brazil, star Marília Mendonça dies: she was 26 years old

Marília Mendonça, one of Brazil’s most famous contemporary singers, died in a plane crash at the age of 26. Four other people – his uncle, his producer and two members of his staff – died in the accident, which occurred in a rural area in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais. An investigation was opened to determine the cause of the crash. Winner of the Latin Grammy in 2019, Mendonça became famous for her songs about the failed love experiences of women.Mendonça was one of the biggest names in Brazilian country music genre known as ‘sertanejo’ and had started her career as a teenager. She had become a national star in 2016 with a hit on infidelity. Because of the genre of her song, she was nicknamed the “Queen of Suffering.” Last year, after her concerts were canceled due to the pandemic, she performed in a series of online concerts. One of these had set the record for the most viewed live stream in the world, peaking 3.3 million viewers on YouTube. In 2020 she was the most listened to artist in Brazil on Spotify.Mendonça, who had a two-year-old son, was due to perform in a concert on Friday night in the city of Caratinga, 12 km from the scene of the accident. A few hours before the accident, she posted a video on social media in which she was preparing to board the private plane.The singer’s staff had initially denied the news of the death, which was unfortunately confirmed by the authorities. The TVs showed images of the plane crashing near a waterfall in a mountainous area. After confirming his death, Brazilian footballer Neymar wrote on Twitter: “I refuse to believe, I refuse”. Singer Anitta also tweeted: “I can’t believe it. I want to believe there’s still hope.”