Canadian rapper Jon James McMurray died on Oct. 20 after trying to film a stunt on the wing of a plane in British Columbia, Vice reports. He was 34.
McMurray, who also goes by the name Jon James, was a stuntman and professional skier in addition to a musician known for his YouTube videos. He had reportedly “trained intensively” for the stunt, according to a statement from his management team. During filming, McMurray was walking on the wing of the plane when the aircraft suddenly spiraled, and the pilot couldn’t regain control, leaving McMurray clinging to the wing before letting go.
The plane eventually landed, but McMurray died on impact after he was unable to open his parachute.
Jon James McMurray’s management team sent out a statement saying the stunt rapper died while filming for a music video. pic.twitter.com/sUfiNOrWS6
— Megan Turcato (@meganturcato) October 22, 2018
The statement mentions McMurray’s “passion for making music videos and performing stunts,” and many of his music videos feature stunt work. A video from Oct. 3 shows McMurray and friends BASE jumping in British Columbia. He’d most recently collaborated with American rapper Riff Raff.
McMurray’s family started a GoFundMe, stating on the page: “A portion of this fund will be used to help the family with costs of his celebration of life … The rest of the fund, in its entirety, is dedicated to releasing all of Jon James’ video and music content, for the world to see, hear, spread and enjoy.”
H/T Vice