Jon James McMurray, a musician from Canada, died while performing a music video stunt that involved rapping while walking on the wing of a plane. He was 33.
The Calgary-born emcee died Saturday in Vernon, British Columbia, filming a project he had been working on for months, a statement from his rep confirms to PEOPLE. McMurray had been training “intensively” to complete the stunt on a small Cessna plane.
“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,” the statement said.
“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,” the statement continued.
His family and friends described McMurray as an “incredibly passionate person” with a “heart of gold” who was “always smiling” and would “want to be remembered as a beacon of light to follow your dreams.”
On Oct. 2, McMurray shared an Instagram video of himself practicing an airplane stunt while singing his song, “The Man.”