Friends and family are mourning the death of a Calgary man who was killed after he fell from the wing of an airplane while performing a stunt for an upcoming music video.
Jon James McMurray was filming part of a music video in the B.C. interior and was walking on the wing of a small plane when the aircraft went into a downward spiral.
His management team said in a statement that McMurray held onto the wing but when he let go there was not enough time to deploy his parachute and he died on impact.
RCMP responded to a private property in the Westwold area at about 7:00 p.m. Saturday for reports of a parachuting fatality.
McMurray was pronounced dead at the scene.
His management team said that the plane and pilot landed safely.
"His passion for making music videos and performing stunts were combined, and Jon pushed music in a new direction that was uncharted territory," the team said.
The 34-year-old was known for his adventurous personality and love of extreme sports and often incorporated daring stunts into his videos.
Rory Bushfield has known McMurray since they were teenagers and says he was incredibly passionate and that he also knew the risks he was taking.
“It was just a bad accident. He knew the risks, you know, he knew that it wasn't a joke. He knew that it’s not like he was going to break his leg, he knows the risks and we all do when we do stunts,” said Bushfield. "He lived his life pushing boundaries and inspiring people to do the same, you know, and to push your boundaries and feel scare, to live before you die.”
His friends and family have started a GoFundMe page to raise money for funeral expenses and to produce a documentary film that will include all of his unreleased videos and footage.
RCMP say the coroner’s service and the Transportation Safety Board are investigating the death.
For more information on the GoFundMe page, click HERE.
(With files from The Canadian Press and Camilla Di Giuseppe)
