A Canadian rapper fell to his death from the wing of an airplane Saturday when a music video stunt went wrong. The Canadian Press reports that 34-year-old Calgary native Jon James McMurray, who performed under the name Jon James, was walking on the wing of a small Cessna when the plane went into a downward spiral. McMurray was found dead in a field near Westwold, British Columbia.
A statement from McMurray’s management details what happened:
He died filming for a project he had been working on for months. His final act included performing an airplane stunt that included rapping while walking on the wing. He had trained intensely for the stunt, however, as Jon got further out onto the wing of the plane, it caused the small Cessna to go into a downward spiral that the pilot couldn’t correct. Jon held onto the wing until it was too late, and by the time he let go, he didn’t have time to pull his chute. He impacted and died instantly.
McMurray, who was based in Los Angeles, was a former professional skier who switched to music after suffering career-ending injuries including a broken back and shattered heel. Before taking up rapping, he performed in a rock band. He often performed stunts in his videos, such as the gymnastics move he pulls in the opening seconds of his recent “I Am” video. He performed at events including the Canadian music and extreme sports festival Center Of Gravityrecently collaborated with Riff Raff on a song called “The Man,” which appears to be the song he was filming a video for. A clip posted on his Instagram three weeks ago previews the making of the video.
This story originally appeared on Stereogum.
