Troy Gentry met an unfortunate death this Friday in a helicopter crash on his way to Medford, New Jersey. The other half of the famous country duo Montgomery Gentry was supposed to perform last night at the Flying W Airport & Resort in Medford.
The sad announcement
The official Facebook account of the popular Montgomery Gentry posted the announcement of Gentry’s death. According to the post, the chopper crash transpired at approximately 1:00 p.m. of Friday in Medford.
The post also mentioned that the family of the deceased singer desires to have some privacy at this time of mourning.
They also expressed their gratitude to the fans and friends for their prayers and condolences.
The unfortunate crash
An audio recording was posted by The Blast on its website, giving more details on the tragic crash. According to the clip, the dispatcher said that the Schweizer 269, the chopper carrying Gentry, was still airborne. It was supposedly trying to make an emergency landing but was just hovering that time.
The clip reveals that mechanical issues were encountered that led to the hovering of the helicopter in the air. It also notes that the vehicle tried to hover for several minutes prior to the crash.
Medford Police Chief Richard J. Meder said they were assigned to handle “a helicopter in distress” that was arriving at the airport.
Unfortunately, the Schweizer 269 came down and crashed.
Chief Meder detailed that the helicopter fell “short of the runway” about several hundred yards. Then it crashed in a marshy area.
Although the emergency team can easily come near to the crashed chopper, they could not give immediate help to the passengers. The police mentioned that there was major wreckage, and it was difficult to rescue the passengers right away.
The pilot was identified as James Evan Robinson, who was already pronounced dead on the spot. However, the country singer was still found fighting for his life.
The emergency staff was even able to bring the musician to the nearby Virtua Marlton Hospital. Unfortunately, the singer did not make it anymore.
More about Gentry
Gentry was born on April 5, 1967, by the name of Troy Lee Gentry.
He studied at the Lexington Community College and the University of Kentucky and finished with a degree in Marketing and Business Management.
Gentry began his Montgomery Gentry band in 1999 with Eddie Montgomery. The band earned the “Favorite New Artist – Country” award at the American Music Awards in 1999. Celebrity Net Worth notes that the country singer has an approximate net worth of $8 million.
More details are expected to surface as the tragic incident is still under investigation by the NTSB and FAA.
