Current:Home > Stocks3 Members of The Nelons Family Gospel Group Dead in Plane Crash -Zenith Investment School
3 Members of The Nelons Family Gospel Group Dead in Plane Crash
View
Date:2025-04-18 05:37:18
The gospel music community is in mourning.
Three members of The Nelons, a Grammy-nominated family gospel group, died in a private plane crash in Wyoming that claimed the lives of all seven people aboard July 26.
Singers Kelly Nelon Clark, 64, husband Jason Clark, and their daughter Amber Nelon Kistler, 35, were killed along with the latter's husband Nathan Kistler, 34, the Georgia-based band's assistant, Melodi Hodges, plus the pilot, Larry Haynie, and his wife, Melissa Haynie, Gaither Management Group said in a statement.
"One of the best loved Gospel music families in America," the company said. "The Nelons were involved in a tragic, fatal plane crash on Friday afternoon on their way to join the Gaither Homecoming Cruise to Alaska."
Kelly and Jason's youngest daughter, fellow Nelons singer Autumn Nelon Streetman, 27, who had traveled separately to the cruise along with her husband Jamie Streetman. Following the crash, Autumn, who is in the second trimester of her pregnancy with the couple's first child, thanked fans for their support.
"Thank you for the prayers that have been extended already to me, my husband, Jamie, and our soon-to-be-born baby boy, as well as Jason’s parents, Dan and Linda Clark," she wrote on Instagram. "We appreciate your continued prayers, love and support as we navigate the coming days."
The single-engine Pilatus PC-12 aircraft had flown from Georgia to Nebraska City, Neb. the morning of July 26 and then took off again that afternoon, headed for another stop in Billings, Mont., according to flight records obtained by E! News.
WSB-TV in Atlanta reported that the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are both investigating the cause of the crash, which occurred in a remote area north of Gillette, Wyo.
An NTSB spokesperson told British newspaper The Guardian that preliminary information indicated the accident took place following an “autopilot issue during flight."
Hours before the accident, the Nelons shared a travel vlog from a Nebraska airport on Instagram.
Autumn, the only surviving member of the Nelons, and her husband were notified of the plane crash upon their arrival at their destination, Gaither Management Group said in their statement.
"They were brought to the hotel where artists were gathered with Bill and Gloria Gaither to pray, sing and embrace them in their grief," the company said in their statement, "pledging to support them in whatever needs arise."
The management group added that "Autumn and Jamie will return home for now to Kelly's brother, Todd Nelon and his wife, Rhonda, to begin the hard tasks that lie ahead. Please keep them, the Kistler family, the Haynie family and the family of Melodi Hodges in your prayers."
Rex Nelon, Kelly's late father, founded the band in the late '70s. The group, whose lineup has changed over the decades, was nominated for a Grammy for Best Southern Gospel Album for Let The Redeemed Say So in 1991. The Nelons were also known for songs such as "I Shall Not Be Moved" and "We Shall Wear a Robe and Crown."
Autumn, the only surviving member of the Nelons, and her husband were notified of the plane crash upon their arrival at their destination, Gaither Management Group said in their statement.
"They were brought to the hotel where artists were gathered with Bill and Gloria Gaither to pray, sing and embrace them in their grief," the company said in their statement, "pledging to support them in whatever needs arise."
The management group added that "Autumn and Jamie will return home for now to Kelly's brother, Todd Nelon and his wife, Rhonda, to begin the hard tasks that lie ahead. Please keep them, the Kistler family, the Haynie family and the family of Melodi Hodges in your prayers."
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News AppveryGood! (388)
Related
- McKinsey to pay $650 million after advising opioid maker on how to 'turbocharge' sales
- Celebrity Couples That Did Epic Joint Halloween Costumes
- Stellantis expects North American strike to cost it 750 million euros in third-quarter profits
- Florida health clinic owner sentenced in $36 million fraud scheme that recruited fake patients
- Could your smelly farts help science?
- Freedom Under Fire: 5 takeaways from AP’s series on rising tension between guns and American liberty
- UAW ends historic strike after reaching tentative deals with Big 3 automakers
- Indonesian police arrest 59 suspected militants over an alleged plot to disrupt 2024 elections
- Man can't find second winning lottery ticket, sues over $394 million jackpot, lawsuit says
- Marine Corps commandant hospitalized after 'medical emergency,' officials say
Ranking
- 'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
- Panama’s leader calls for referendum on mining concession, seeking to calm protests over the deal
- Spending passes $17M in Pennsylvania high court campaign as billionaires, unions and lawyers dig in
- Sports Equinox is today! MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL all in action for only time in 2023
- South Korean president's party divided over defiant martial law speech
- Alabama man charged with threatening Fulton County DA Fani Willis over Trump case
- Watchdog group says attack that killed videographer ‘explicitly targeted’ Lebanon journalists
- 2 Georgia State University students, 2 others shot near campus in downtown Atlanta
Recommendation
Meta releases AI model to enhance Metaverse experience
Heavily armed man with explosives found dead at Colorado amusement park prompting weekend search
Indonesian police arrest 59 suspected militants over an alleged plot to disrupt 2024 elections
Sports Equinox is today! MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL all in action for only time in 2023
See you latte: Starbucks plans to cut 30% of its menu
AP PHOTOS: 3-day Halloween festival draws huge crowds to Romania’s capital, Bucharest
Federal judge blocks California law banning gun shows at county fairs
Joran van der Sloot is sent back to Peru after US trial and confession in Holloway killing