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."
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."