Gabriel Diniz, a successful Brazilian pop star has been killed in a plane crash while on his way to attend his girlfriend’s birthday party.
A plane he took on Monday 27 May from the city of Salvador in Bahia state, bound for Maceió further up the east coast, crashed in bad weather in Porto do Mato.
Gabriel Diniz died along with two pilots, Linaldo Xavier and Abraão Farias.
Growing up in João Pessoa in the north-east of Brazil, Gabriel Diniz built up his music career while also working as an electrical engineer. After his 2018 hit Jenifer, he grew a huge following in Brazil, due to the upbeat nature of the pop track which is about a casual relationship on the dating app Tinder.
The hit song has 237m streams on YouTube, and 4.7m people follow the singer on Instagram. Other hits by the singer include Acabou Acabou with the singer Wesley Safadão, who tweeted: “No wonder you had the name of an angel, my friend Gabriel … I will carry your smile and your friendship with me forever.”
Liverpool and Brazil footballer Robert Firmino has also paid tribute: “The message of love and joy that you left here on Earth was incredible.”