A Colombian singer-songwriter was killed Saturday, January 10, 2026, when his private plane crashed and burst into flames moments after takeoff, just hours before a scheduled performance that would never happen.
Yeison Jiménez died at age 34 alongside five team members when their aircraft plummeted near Paipa, Colombia, around 4 p.m. local time. The rising star of música popular had transformed traditional Mexican ranchera blended with Colombian roots into a career spanning eight albums over 13 years, becoming one of the country’s most celebrated regional artists.
The crash killed Jefferson Osorio, Juan Manuel Rodriguez, Oscar Marin, Weisman Mora, and Captain Fernando Torres, along with Jiménez. Mora, who worked as Jiménez’s photographer, had shared a clip on his Instagram Stories from the front passenger seat just moments before the fatal crash, capturing footage of the plane taxiing on the runway. The aircraft, registered as N325FA and believed owned by Jiménez’s firm YJ Company SAS, crashed between Paipa and Duitama as the group traveled to Medellín for an evening concert in nearby Marinilla.
Videos broadcast on Colombian media showed the wreckage ablaze with emergency responders attempting to extinguish the fire. In footage obtained by news outlets, shouts about “the runway is run out” can be heard as the aircraft takes off, suggesting the plane may have failed to gain sufficient altitude before the end of the runway.
“With heavy hearts and a pain impossible to describe, the organization and team of Yeison Jiménez deeply regret to inform you of his passing,” a statement posted on the singer’s Instagram account read. “Today we say goodbye not only to an artist; we say goodbye to a son, a brother, a friend, a human being full of dreams and courage, who transformed his story into hope for thousands of people.”
The statement described Jiménez as someone who “embodied perseverance, discipline, and love for his community,” noting that his voice and example were born from hard work and would forever mark the lives of those who followed and loved him. His organization also expressed condolences to the families of the other victims, asking for understanding and respect during this difficult time.
Jiménez had achieved what no other Colombian performer in his genre had accomplished. He became the first singer of música popular to sell out tickets for a solo show at the Movistar Arena of Bogotá in 2024, and sold out the venue three times that year. He later sold out Bogotá’s El Campín Stadium, becoming the first Colombian regional artist to do so, with a second show scheduled for March 28 that will never happen.
In a chilling twist, Jiménez had recently revealed recurring dreams about dying in a plane crash during an interview with Colombian television station Caracol. “I dreamt three times that we were going to have a plane crash and that I had to tell the pilot to turn around. And when he arrived, he’d say, ‘Oh, boss, thank goodness you told me because something went wrong, but I fixed it, get in,'” Jiménez said.
In the same interview, Jiménez revealed he had experienced an emergency landing involving the same aircraft just days before his son was due to be born.
Before boarding the fatal flight, the group had stopped to buy cheese in a shop near the airport, where they posed for selfies with staff just two hours before they were killed. Jiménez had also posted reflections on social media about being humble, writing that God can take away what he gives, words that would take on eerie significance in the hours that followed.
Born Yeison Orlando Jiménez Galeano on July 26, 1991, in Manzanares, Caldas, he rose from humble beginnings to become a symbol of perseverance and success. Before finding fame, Jiménez spent his teenage years working as a laborer with 15-hour shifts at Corabastos, Bogotá’s main wholesale market. During this time, he struggled with drug addiction and served a sentence under house arrest, experiences that would later inform his emotionally charged songwriting.
His first commercial song was “Te Deseo Lo Mejor,” released in 2013 for the album “Con El Corazón: Vol. 1.” Across his career, he published eight albums and wrote 70 songs, including hits like “Aventurero,” “Vete,” and “Hasta La Madre” that connected deeply with working-class Colombians through themes of love, heartbreak, resilience, and everyday life.
The crash occurred as Jiménez prepared for what would have been another sold-out performance in Marinilla, near Medellín. The concert venue stood empty as news of the tragedy spread through social media and local news outlets, with fans gathering instead to mourn the loss of an artist who had connected deeply with audiences across socioeconomic backgrounds.
Jiménez is survived by his wife, Sonia Restrepo, and three children: Camila, Thaliana, and Santiago. His stepdaughter Camila, whom he adopted as his own, paid tribute online writing, “I love you dad. You don’t know how much it hurts me to see your videos and for you not to be here.” His organization thanked supporters for their messages and prayers while requesting privacy for the families to grieve.
The Special Administrative Unit of Civil Aeronautics confirmed the crash, while investigators from the Technical Directorate for Accident Investigation are conducting a thorough probe to determine the exact cause of the technical failure that led to the crash. Colombia’s Civil Aviation Authority revealed that the light aircraft encountered severe mechanical difficulties or lost power shortly after ascent.
News of the crash prompted reactions from across Colombia’s entertainment industry, with fellow musicians and public figures expressing shock and grief at the sudden loss. The tragedy highlighted the risks faced by touring artists who rely on small aircraft to reach remote venues across the country’s mountainous terrain, where commercial airline service remains limited.
Jiménez’s death at 34 cut short a career that had already achieved remarkable success while promising even greater accomplishments in the years ahead. His ability to connect with audiences through songs that spoke to their daily struggles and aspirations had made him not just an entertainer but a cultural figure whose influence extended beyond music into the broader social fabric of Colombian society.