Passenger on William Shatner's flight to space dies in a plane crash

Glen de Vries, who was one of the passengers on Star Trek actor William Shatner's recent flight to space, has died in a plane crash. He was 49.
De Vries, vice chair of life sciences and healthcare at the software company Dassault Systèmes, was killed Thursday in a small plane crash in New Jersey, CNN reports. A four-seat plane reportedly went down in a wooded area in Hampton Township. Blue Origin said it was "devastated" to learn of de Vries's death.
"He brought so much life and energy to the entire Blue Origin team and to his fellow crewmates," statement from the company said. "His passion for aviation, his charitable work, and his dedication to his craft will long be revered and admired."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
De Vries traveled to space alongside Shatner, former NASA engineer Chris Boshuizen, and Blue Origin Vice President of Mission and Flight Operations Audrey Powers in October. De Vries told CBS ahead of the trip he was "looking forward to seeing the Earth from a different perspective than I ever had before," adding, "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."
Dassault Systèmes in a statement to CNN praised de Vries' "tireless energy, empathy and pioneering spirit," which "left their mark on everyone who knew him."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
How Poland became Europe's military power
The Explainer Warsaw has made its armed forces a priority as it looks to protect its borders and stay close to the US
By Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, The Week UK Published
-
Quiz of The Week: 15 - 21 February
Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By The Week Staff Published
-
Tash Aw picks his favourite books
The Week Recommends From Baldwin to Chekhov, the Malaysian writer shares his top picks
By The Week UK Published
-
Pharaoh's tomb discovered for first time in 100 years
Speed Read This is the first burial chamber of a pharaoh unearthed since Tutankhamun in 1922
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Scientists report optimal method to boil an egg
Speed Read It takes two temperatures of water to achieve and no fancy gadgets
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Europe records big leap in renewable energy
Speed Read Solar power overtook coal for the first time
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Blue Origin conducts 1st test flight of massive rocket
Speed Read The Jeff Bezos-founded space company conducted a mostly successful test flight of its 320-foot-tall New Glenn rocket
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US won its war on 'murder hornets,' officials say
Speed Read The announcement comes five years after the hornets were first spotted in the US
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Dark energy data suggest Einstein was right
Speed Read Albert Einstein's 1915 theory of general relativity has been proven correct, according to data collected by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
New DNA tests of Pompeii dead upend popular stories
Speed Read An analysis of skeletal remains reveals that some Mount Vesuvius victims have been wrongly identified
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
NASA's Europa Clipper blasts off, seeking an ocean
Speed Read The ship is headed toward Jupiter on a yearslong journey
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published