Glen de Vries, William Shatner's Crewmate On Blue Origin Spaceflight, Tragically Dies Due to Horrifying Cause [REPORT]
William Shatner's crewmate, Glen de Vries, has died tragically one month after their spaceflight. He was 49.
The New Jersey State Police confirmed the heartbreaking news to several news outlets, noting that de Vries succumbed after getting involved in a small plane crash. The aircraft he boarded reportedly crashed in Sussex County, New Jersey, before 3:00 p.m. on Thursday.
CBS News noted that the business mogul was with the 54-year-old Thomas P. Fischer when the incident happened. He also died due to the crash.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is currently investigating what potentially happened that led to the horrifying event.
Following the emergence of the shocking news, Blue Origin's official Twitter account shared a photo of de Vries wearing the company's suit alongside a caption to honor him.
"We are devastated to hear of the sudden passing of Glen de Vries. He brought so much life and energy to the entire Blue Origin team and to his fellow crewmates," the statement said, "His passion for aviation, his charitable work, and his dedication to his craft will long be revered and admired."
Prior to his death, de Vries famously co-founded Medidata Solutions. The company serves as the most-used clinical research site globally as it has already managed more than 25,000 clinical trials for 7 million patients. In 2019, Dassault Systemes acquired the company for $5.9 billion.
The company also sent their heartfelt message following his death, sharing her deepest sympathy to its MEDIDATA team. It pledged to continuously push with its goal in life sciences and healthcare to continue his legacy.
Glen de Vries First and Last Flight
Shatner's crewmate experienced 10 minutes in space alongside Australian entrepreneur Chris Boshuizen and Blue Origin executive Audrey Powers.
De Vries immediately expressed how grateful he felt after seeing Earth from a different perspective.
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"I just can't wait to stare out that window and feel differently about humanity and our planet than I've ever had the opportunity to before," he went on.
Their trip on October 13 made Shatner the oldest person to ever go to space at the age of 90. De Vries reportedly paid his seat to be able to join a Blue Origin flight. He and Boshuizen followed the 18-year-old man named Oliver Daemen from the Netherlands.
