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Truth behind grim rumors Lenny Kravitz was on board Learjet that crashed in Florida
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Lenny Kravitz has responded to rumors that he was aboard the doomed private jet that crashed into a South Florida neighborhood on Sunday (November 1).
The music artist was alleged to have been one of the nine souls who lost their lives on board, if social media were to be believed.
However, his representative Carleen Donovan told BocaNewsNow: "The reports are untrue and incorrect."
The Bahamas-bound Learjet 60 that crashed in Palm Beach County went from flying at an altitude of 35,000 ft to plummeting into the ground in 76 seconds.
Footage of the tragic crash has circulated online, with the private jet crashing after departing from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas, as Floridian motorists caught the crash on their dash cameras.
The plane can be seen crashing into a neighborhood near Cresthaven, erupting into a ball of flames.
Origins of claims Lenny Kravitz was on board
It was said that the rock star was on board the jet after a female pilot, who was wrongly identified as the one flying the doomed Learjet 60, posted about Kravitz before taking a similar route around the same time.
Florida pilot Emily Shelton wrote in a now-deleted Facebook post: “Honored to be flying the one and only Lenny Kravitz from [Austin-Bergstrom International Airport] to [North Eleuthera Airport, Bahamas] tomorrow. Looking forward to having him on board.”
“’It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over’ is gonna be playing in the cockpit,” she added, with dancing and music note emojis.
Fans found the post and started to share it across social media, believing that the pilot and artist had died following the crash.
The pilot had already made headlines in August for successfully executing an emergency landing on Interstate 10.
Shelton has since addressed the rumors on social media, writing on TikTok on Sunday: “I was recently made aware that there are rumors that I was the pilot of the recent crash in Palm Beach,
“I would like to respectfully clarify I was not. I ask that people please stop speculating and spreading misinformation on this tragedy and be respectful of those involved.
“My heart goes out to all those lost and affected.”
Co-pilot of jet identified
One of the pilots of the private jet has been identified by her family as Nathalia Gadelha.
Gadelha's loved ones identified her as the one behind the controls of the aircraft when it plummeted to the ground during an interview with The New York Post.
Gadelha grew up in Palm Beach County and previously made headlines in 2023 after earning her private pilot's license at just 17, before she even got her driver's license.
"I definitely do brag because people say, 'Oh, you can’t drive,' and I’m like, 'Yeah, but I can fly,'" she told CBS12, cited by Daily Mail.
Florida governor Ron DeSantis had provided an update on the incident and revealed that there were no immediate reports of any bystanders on the ground being injured or killed.
While many have theorized what may have caused the crash, the Federal Aviation Administration has sent a team to support the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) investigation into the crash.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated on X that the Learjet 60 crashed at around 12:50PM, describing it as a 'horrific tragedy'.