Country Musician Kenny Chesney Mourns Death Of Close Friend Maria Rodriguez

Country musician Kenny Chesney loses close friend Maria Rodriguez in plane crash: Singer, songwriter and producer Kenny Chesney took to social media to express grief over the passing of his close friend Maria Rodriguez in a plane crash on Virgin Islands of United States. Rodriguez was the owner of a helicopter company based out of  St. Thomas.

Reports confirm that four people died in the said plane crash that occurred on Monday afternoon. The identities of those who passed away in the crash have not been released formally, however. An investigation is underway to find out what led to the incident.

"'Today I have to say a very hard goodbye to my friend Maria Rodriguez in the Virgin Islands. Maria and others were killed today in a helicopter crash in St. Thomas," Chesney wrote in his Instagram post. Calling Rodriguez a dear friend he added, "I have been flying with Maria for over 15 years and we shared a lot of laughs and a lot of life together."

According to Daily Mail, Maria Rodriguez was felicitated with the Helicopter Association International (HAI) Salute to Excellence Appareo Pilot of the Year Award in 2018, for her support missions to the islands after hurricanes Irma and Maria.

"It’s fair to say I won’t ever be able to go to the Virgin Islands again without feeling the loss of her. She was such a huge part of my island life," the 52-year-old musician added in his post.

Bidding adieu to his "sweet friend" Chesney wrote, "I’m sure glad our paths crossed on this side. See you on the other."

Who is Kenny Chesney?

Kenny Chesney has close to 20 albums to his name. The country musician topped Billboard top 200 for the ninth time in May last year, as per his website. Chesney released his debut album as a singer in 1994, titled, In My Wildest Dreams. His last released album was Here and Now in 2020. Chesney married Hollywood actor Renée Zellweger in 2005, however, the couple announced an &feature=fvw">annulment in a matter of months.