Brazil singer Marília Mendonça dies at 26 in plane crash

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – According to Infraero, the plane carrying the performer had taken off at 1:05 PM (Brasília time) from Santa Genoveva airport, in Goiânia.

“On Friday, a small aircraft, Beech Aircraft model, crashed in the rural area of Piedade de Caratinga. The BMMG confirms that the aircraft was carrying singer Marília Mendonça and that she is among the fatal victims,” the Fire Department said in a statement.

The singer’s press office confirmed the deaths of producer Henrique Ribeiro, the singer’s uncle and assistant Abicieli Silveira Dias Filho, the pilot and the co-pilot of the aircraft, whose names were not disclosed. All bodies were removed from the scene.

The Brazilian Air Force (FAB) said in a statement that is currently investigating the reasons for the crash and removed part of the aircraft for examination. Sources say the plane hit electrical power lines just before it crashed.

The singer’s agent initially told journalists that the artist had survived the plane crash in Minas Gerais. The fire department later confirmed the singer’s death.

“With great regret, we confirm the death of singer Marília Mendonça, her producer Henrique Ribeiro, her uncle and assistant Abicieli Silveira Dias Filho, the aircraft’s pilot and copilot, whose names we will preserve at this time. The plane took off from Goiânia, bound for Caratinga/MG, where Marília would be performing tonight. For the moment, this is the information we have,” said the singer’s press office.

Marília leaves her son Léo, 1 year old.

The crashed aircraft is a twin-engine Beech Aircraft, from PEC Táxi Aéreo, a company from Goiás. It once belonged to the country music duo Henrique & Giuliano.

In June, the Goiás Attorney General’s Office sent a notice to the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC), requesting the agency to advise on the failure to supervise alleged irregularities of PEC Táxi Aéreo.

According to the complaint attached to the document, the company was not respecting the working hours and rest regulations for pilots and crew; it was operating with safety equipment in violation of the rules; it obtained advantages by illegal means in tenders in the states of Rondônia and Roraima; the aircraft that crashed in Caratinga allegedly had windshield issues, which caused visual impairment in landings and takeoffs.

COMPOSER SINCE 12

Marília Mendonça began to stand out as a young songwriter at the age of 12. She collected some of Brazil’s biggest hits, such as “Infiel,” “Supera,” “Ciumeira,” and “De quem é a Culpa.”

Her success in sertanejo (country music) led Marília to become known as the “rainha da sofrência” (the queen of suffering). She was one of the pioneers of the “feminejo” movement, marked by the rise of women singing the genre which, until the early 2000s, was predominantly male.

Despite her young age, Marília began collecting major hits as a songwriter while still in her teens. Her lyrics became famous being sung by top artists. “É Com Ela Que Eu Estou” – sung by Cristiano Araújo, “Até você voltar” and “Cuida Bem Dela” – hit by the duo Henrique & Juliano are among the hits written by Marília.

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