Colombian music star killed in plane crash hours before concert

Jiménez was among six people killed in the plane crash

Yeison Orlando Jiménez Galeano (34) was a passenger on a light aircraft that came down shortly after takeoff from Paipa Airport in Colombia’s Tundama Province on Saturday afternoon, after failing to gain height.

Jiménez was on his way to perform at one of his shows.

He was killed alongside three other passengers, as well as the pilot and co-pilot.

In shocking footage circulating on social media, onlookers can be heard screaming that the plane was ‘running out of runway’ as it neared the end of the airstrip and then hit the ground before catching fire, according to Metro.

Just moments before boarding the flight, Jiménez shared a post to his social media, which read: "Always humble, because what God gives you he can also take away."

Jiménez's photographer, who shared what would be their final video of them on the plane just before take-off, has also been named as one of the victims.

The aircraft was heading towards the city of Medellin, near the town of Marinilla, where Jiménez was set to perform that night.

The fatal crash happened around 4 pm local time yesterday (January 10).

Soon after the crash, Colombia's Civil Aviation Authority released a statement which read: "Unfortunately, following the arrival of emergency services and the National Police at the crash site, the deaths of all six occupants of the aircraft have been confirmed.

"Among the victims is the renowned popular music artist Yeison Jimenez."

The singer's stepdaughter, Camila Jiménez, shared a tribute to her stepfather online: "I love you, Dad. You don’t know how much it hurts me to see your videos and for you not to be here."

Fans were also quick to show their support and pay tribute to the singer.

One fan wrote: "God have you in his glory. Rest in peace. You were a great man, a brilliant artist and a loving father. I still can’t believe what’s happened."

Jiménez started performing at the age of seven and, over the years, quickly became a popular artist in the Colombian folk music genre.

Over the course of his career, he wrote more than 70 songs, released eight albums, and was widely credited with revitalising the genre.

Even more chilling is that the singer had reportedly predicted that he would one day die in a plane crash.

"I started dreaming about a very delicate subject, which is that we were going to have an accident. I saw it three times in my accident. I’ve never said this before, nobody knows. Three times, two dreams in Spain," he said during a podcast interview, per Metro.

The other victims of the crash have also since been named as pilot Hernando Torres, Juan Manuel Rodriguez, Oscar Marin, and Jefferson Osorio.

The regional government of Boyaca shared that Jiménez was ‘one of the most representative figures of Colombian popular music’ when publicly revealing the names of all the victims.

The plane is believed to have belonged to Jiménez’s firm, YJ Company SAS.

Jiménez is survived by his wife and three children.