The death of popular music singer Yeison Jiménez, 34, who perished along with five other people in a plane crash on Saturday in the department of Boyacá (central Colombia), has Colombia shocked on Sunday as investigations continue to clarify the causes of the accident.
“I express my heartfelt condolences and solidarity to the families, friends and followers of singer Yeison Jimenez,” wrote Colombia’s Vice President Francia Marquez on X, as she mourned the death of the artist in the crash of the aircraft, a twin-engine Piper Navajo, owned by the singer.
Yeison Jimenez kills himself when his plane crashes
#International ‼️ Colombian singer #YeisonJimenez‘s plane crashes. He died along with five other people, the plane would have run out of runway to take off.#News #Colombia pic.twitter.com/yZEAxtJO4g
– Cursor Informativo (@cursorinformat1) January 11, 2026
Local and regional authorities and politicians from different parties also expressed on social networks their sorrow for the death of Jiménez, a man of humble origins who in his childhood worked in Corabastos, Bogota’s main agri-food market, and who met his death when he was at the peak of his career.
“With deep sorrow we bid farewell to a son of Corabastos. Yeison Jimenez carried in his story the effort, the early mornings and the dignity of the market,” said the entity in a message on its X account.
Last images of the failed flight
#ATTENT. Video released by Weisman Mora, who was traveling with Yeison Jiménez, shows the interior of the plane before takeoff. The recording generates speculation as the pilot is observed using a cell phone during the maneuver; the material is already being analyzed by authorities. https://t.co/EelGnaavlg pic.twitter.com/lbvGf7TwDY
– Colombia Oscura (@ColombiaOscura) January 11, 2026
The Attorney General’s Office informed that it opened “an investigation related to the accident of the private aircraft”, which crashed while trying to take off from the airport of Paipa (Boyacá) and fell in a field near the end of the runway.
The twin-engine plane was burned after the accident, which also killed the artist’s manager, Jefferson Osorio, other members of his team and the pilot of the aircraft.
After the accident, a video recorded from inside the aircraft seconds before takeoff and uploaded to his social networks by Weisman Mora, the artist’s photographer, also deceased, has circulated, in which the pilot can be seen chatting on his cell phone during the takeoff maneuver.
The image also shows the aircraft’s control panel with apparent warning messages about a possible electrical failure that the pilot apparently did not notice, which has led to speculation about what happened.
The singer was scheduled to perform Saturday night at a popular festival in the municipality of Marinilla, in Antioquia (northwest), where his band was waiting for him.
The organizers held a minute of silence and a symbolic tribute at the time his presentation was scheduled.
After the rescue and emergency response efforts, carried out by rescue agencies, aeronautical authorities and National Police units, the bodies of the six occupants were taken to the headquarters of the National Institute of Legal Medicine in Bogota.
Their own say goodbye
#ATTENT. Video released by Weisman Mora, who was traveling with Yeison Jiménez, shows the interior of the plane before takeoff. The recording generates speculation as the pilot is observed using a cell phone during the maneuver; the material is already being analyzed by authorities. https://t.co/EelGnaavlg pic.twitter.com/lbvGf7TwDY
– Colombia Oscura (@ColombiaOscura) January 11, 2026
In Manzanares, department of Caldas, the artist’s homeland, the Mayor’s Office decreed three days of mourning and the hoisting of the flag at half-mast.
“Yeison Jiménez, throughout his artistic career, consolidated himself as one of the most representative figures of Colombian popular music, achieving national and international recognition, proudly carrying the name of Manzanares and the department of Caldas to multiple scenarios, and becoming a cultural reference for new generations,” said the municipal government in a statement released in X.
Jimenez’s work team also published a text in which they thanked the many expressions of support received and expressed their solidarity with the families of the other people who died in the accident.
“Today we not only say goodbye to an artist; we say goodbye to a son, a brother, a friend, a human being full of dreams and courage, who turned his story into hope for thousands of people,” said the message, in which he stressed that his legacy will remain in Colombian regional music.
Artists such as Carlos Vives, Silvestre Dangond and Fonseca also said goodbye to Jiménez on social networks, where they highlighted his musical legacy and expressed solidarity with his family and loved ones.
Jiménez had established himself as one of the most influential figures of popular music in Colombia with hits such as ‘Sublime mujer’, ‘Aventurero’, ‘Vete’, ‘Ni tengo ni necesito’ and ‘Mi venganza’, among others.
With information from EFE
