A businessman who traveled to space alongside William Shatner and two others last month has tragically died after a small plane crashed in New Jersey.
Glen de Vries, 49, had been aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard spacecraft on October 13, spending more than 10 minutes in space after launch.
Per Reuters, he was killed along with another person in the New Jersey crash, according to police.
The plane, a single-engine Cessna 172, went down on Thursday, November 11, in a wooded area in the northern part of the state, Reuters reports.
The Federal Aviation Administration alerted public safety agencies to look for the missing plane in the afternoon. Emergency crews found the wreckage about an hour later.
Blue Origin, the space company founded by Bezos, said they were "devastated" over the sudden death of de Vries.
"He brought so much life and energy to the entire Blue Origin team and to his fellow crewmates," the company wrote on Twitter. "His passion for aviation, his charitable work, and his dedication to his craft will long be revered and admired."
In his personal tribute, Bezos wrote: "Such a tragic loss. Warm and full of life, Glen made us laugh and lit up the room. He was a visionary, and an innovator - a true leader."
After the space flight, de Vries - who was the founder a clinical research company - was full of emotion, saying: "It's going to take me a while to be able to describe it. It was incredible."
The other person killed in the crash was Thomas P. Fischer, 54, the founder of a family-run flight school and its head instructor.
Bezos' girlfriend, Lauren Sanchez, called de Vries' death a "painful loss".
"We got to know Glen de Vries, an incredible man, and his partner Leah last month," she wrote on Instagram. "Leah's love for Glen was visible every time we saw them together. When he took off for space she gripped my hand so tight it hurt."
"Thinking of that moment today with a broken heart. Our deepest sympathies go out to Leah and Glen's family, we are so saddened by the tragic news," she added.
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