Latin pop star Gabriel Diniz, 28, dies in plane crash while on his way to his girlfriend's birthday party
- Brazilian singer Gabriel Diniz tragically passed away in a small plane crash on Monday at the age of 28
- The singer was reportedly bound for Maceió-Zumbi dos Palmares International Airport when the plane crashed
- Pictures from crash site show the wreckage of the small plane in a river
- Three people died in the accident - Diniz and two pilots
- Gabriel was reportedly on his way to his girlfriend Karoline Calheiro's 25th birthday party at the time
- On Tuesday family, friends and fans gathered for a wake for the beloved singer, whose body was displayed in an open casket
Latin pop star Gabriel Diniz has tragically passed away in a plane crash on Monday at the age of 28.
The Brazilian singer, best known for his hit 'Jenifer' died after his plane crashed in the town of Porto do Mato in Estância.
He had just wrapped up a show in the state of Bahia in Brazil and departed from Luís Eduardo Magalhães International Airport bound for Maceió-Zumbi dos Palmares International Airport when the aircraft suddenly plummeted to the ground.
Gabriel was reportedly on his way to his girlfriend, Karoline Calheiro's, birthday party at the time.
According to fire officials three people died in the small plane crash - Diniz and pilots Linaldo Xavier and Abraham Farias, though the reason behind the accident is not yet clear.
Shocking pictures from the crash site show the wreckage of the plane scattered in bits and pieces in a river and rescuers pulling bodies from the water.
Plane crash: Latin pop star Gabriel Diniz has passed away at the age of 28, after his small plane crashed in Brazil on the way to his girlfriend's birthday party
Gabriel was reportedly on his way to his girlfriend Karoline Calheiro's 25th birthday party at the time of the crash
Shocking photos from the seen show the wreckage of the small plane after it suddenly went down int he town of Porto do Mato, Estância, in the state of Sergipe, Brazil
Rescue workers were seen pulling a body from the wreckage after it suddenly crashed Monday
According to fire officials three people died in the small plane crash - Diniz and pilots Linaldo Xavier and Abraham Farias
'It is with great pain that we can confirm the death of Gabriel Diniz and the plane's crew,' Gabriel's representatives confirmed to Us on Tuesday.
According to reports, local fire department officials responded to the scene immediately and the freak accident is still under investigation.
Video footage has emerged of the singer smiling with the two pilots after boarding the doomed flight.
On Tuesday morning an emotional wake as held at the Ronaldao Gymnasium in Joao Pessoa where the body of the beloved singer was displayed in an open casket.
His body was brought in at 5am and covered in a thin veil for the ceremony, according to Globo.
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Video footage has emerged of the Diniz smiling and flashing a thumbs up with the two pilots after boarding the doomed flight
According to fire officials three people died in the small plane crash - Diniz and pilots Linaldo Xavier (left) and Abraham Farias (right) , though the reason behind the accident is not clear
The wake was closed to family and friends from 5am to 8am then opened to the public.
At the wake the singer's father Cizinato Diniz and girlfriend Karoline Calheiros were seen crouching over his half-open casket to look at the late singer.
Brazilian Singers Wesley Safadao and Xand Aviao spoke before the guests at the wake, paying tribute to the late singer.
Brazilian soccer player Roberto Firmino, who plays for Liverpool, also paid tribute to his friend in a touching Instagram post.
'There are things that are hard to believe, the chip does not fall. The message of love and joy that you left here on earth was incredible. Glad to have met you. Rest in peace,' he wrote.
Gabriel Diniz's father Cizinato Diniz stands over his son's casket on Tuesday at a wake for the beloved singer held at the Ronaldao Gymnasium in Joao Pessoa
A wake was held for family and friends of Diniz before it was open to the public. His casket pictured draped in red in the center
Guests lit candles and listened to tributes dedicated to Diniz at the open wake
Family members of the beloved singer comforted each other as they stood around his casket
People were spotted lining up outside of the stadium to pay their respects to the singer
Diniz was a beloved singer in Brazil, boasting a following of 4.6million followers on Instagram
Diniz's casket pictured being escorted out of the wake on a Fire Department Truck to the funeral
Swarms of people stood outside to pay tribute to Diniz's passing casket en route to his funeral
Following the wake his casket was placed on a Fire Department truck and escorted to the funeral grounds at Parque das Acácias Cemetery in the capital of Paraíba late Tuesday afternoon.
The funeral was closed to relatives only.
'This moment that we are going through is difficult, it is really very difficult. Sometimes you think you are dreaming, but you're not. Now, I'm telling you fans to not feel sad, because Gabriel for me is the greatest representation of joy. I do not mind if people express joy at this moment, not at all. We have to keep the good things he left us,' the singer's father Cizinato Diniz said in a message to fans.
Gabriel last took to his Instagram page with 4.6 million followers on Monday, thanking all the fans who had come out to his concert in Feira de Santa, Brazil.
'Sempre uma alegria voltar a Feira de Santana e ser recebido com tanta alegria e com tanta energia positiva [sic]obrigado pelo carinho galera. Uma verdadeira multidão curtindo o nosso show [sic] até a próxima se Deus quiser simmmmmm,' he captioned.
Translated from Portuguese, the caption read: 'Always a joy to return to Feira de Santana and be greeted with such joy and with so much positive energy [sic].'
Didn't make it: Gabriel was reportedly on his way to his girlfriend, Karoline Calheiro's, 25, birthday party at the time
Love: Gabriel and Karoline had been dating for two years before the tragic crash
Last post: Gabriel last took to his Instagram page with 4.6 million followers on Monday, thanking all the fans who had come out to his concert in Feira de Santa, Brazil
'Thank you for the kindness guys. A real crowd enjoying our show [sic] until next time God willing simmmmmm.'
Gabriel was best known for his single, Jenifer, which was only recently released this year.
The video has already racked up 236 million views, broke Spotify records and was dubbed 'the song of the summer' in Brazil.
Monday was the 25th birthday of his girlfriend of-two-years, Karoline Calheiros, a psychologist.
Gone too soon: Monday was also the 25th birthday of his girlfriend of-two-years, Karoline Calheiros, a psychologist
