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SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – The music industry agency Sound Talent Group confirmed to the Associated Press that company co-founder Dave Shapiro and two other employees were among six people on board a plane that crashed in San Diego’s Murphy Canyon neighborhood on Thursday.
While the Federal Aviation Administration only confirmed six people were on the aircraft, the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office has not yet confirmed their identities.
The AP reported Shapiro was the registered owner of the private jet that crashed.
„He wanted everyone else to win first. He was that guy everyone aspired to be in a room,“ Ryan Bruce said of Shapiro, his friend and booking agent.
Bruce said Shapiro helped thousands of artists become big names in the music industry, including Sum 41 and Pierce the Veil.
„He will be loved forever and will never be forgotten. It’s weird to digest,“ Bruce said.
Shapiro’s agency also represents The Devil Wears Prada. The band’s drummer, Daniel Williams, posted photos to Instagram Wednesday showing him boarding a plane with the same tail number as the one that crashed.
The band posted a tribute to Williams and Shapiro on Thursday with the caption „no words. We owe you everything. Love you forever.“
„If you’re in the music industry, you know who Dave is. He gave so many bands so many career opportunities,“ Bruce said.
Bruce said Shapiro would frequently fly to shows across the country and sometimes produced music out of his hangar at Gillespie Field.
„He flies all the time, so it’s like well, he was doing what he loved,“ Bruce said.
A spokesperson from Shapiro’s music agency sent ABC 10News a statement that read, in part: „We are devastated by the loss of our co-founder, colleagues and friends. Our hearts go out to their families and to everyone impacted by today’s tragedy.“