Singer Jenni Rivera Is Feared Dead, Days After Signing Sitcom Deal With ABC

Mexican-American singer-songwriter Jenni Rivera, who has sold 20 million albums worldwide and won multiple Latin Grammys, is feared dead from a mysterious plane crash, according to the AP, less than a week after inking a contract with ABC for her own multi-cam sitcom.

A small plane carrying Mexican-American singer Jenni Rivera went missing early Sunday after taking off from the city of Monterrey, authorities in northern Mexico confirmed Sunday.

Jorge Domene, spokesman for the Nuevo Leon state government, told Milenio television on Sunday that the plane left Monterrey about 3:30 a.m local time after a concert there and aviation authorities lost contact with the craft about 10 minutes later. It had been scheduled to arrive in Toluca, which is located outside Mexico City, about an hour later. (Via)

As for the specifics of her show:

ABC has put in development Jenni, a multi-camera family comedy starring Mexican-American singer-songwriter Jenni Rivera. It hails from leading Broadway producer Robert L. Boyett and Robert Horn (Designing Women). Boyett and Horn will write the project, which stars Rivera as a strong, middle-class, single Latina woman working to raise a family using unique parenting skills, while struggling to run a family business and navigate her extended, co-dependent relatives — all while fighting the cultural perception that she needs a man to do it. (Via)

The search doesn’t sound promising, but hopefully mother-of-five Rivera will be found safe and sound, secretly watching old episodes of ABC’s George Lopez, to avoid all of his terrible, terrible mistakes. Hope for the best.

UPDATE: according to NBC News, the plane wreckage has been found and Jenni Rivera has been pronounced dead.

Mexican-American singer Jenni Rivera died in a plane crash Saturday night, her father and brother confirmed on Telemundo. (Via)

Yet another reminder that planes are the worst. RIP Jenni.

(Via AP) (Via Deadline)