The country music star Kenny Chesney is saying “a very hard goodbye” to his dear friend Maria Rodriguez, who was killed on Monday in a helicopter crash in the Virgin Islands.
Chesney took to Instagram on Monday night to pay tribute to Rodriguez, sharing various photos of her on his page.
“Today I have to say a very hard goodbye to my friend Maria Rodriguez in the Virgin Islands,” Chesney wrote. “Maria and others were killed today in a helicopter crash in St. Thomas. She was a dear friend to me and to our island community. I have been flying with Maria for over 15 years and we shared a lot of laughs and a lot of life together.”
‘She was always the first person I saw when I landed and the last person I said goodbye to when I would leave island. I’m sure going to miss that,” he added. “It’s fair to say I won’t ever be able to go to the Virgin Islands again without feeling the loss of her. She was such a huge part of my island life. So goodbye sweet friend. I’m sure glad our paths crossed on this side. See you on the other.”
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The Virgin Islands Emergency Management Agency confirmed to ABC News that four people had died in a crash that took place at 3:14pm local time in the Botany Bay area of St. Thomas. Authorities are reportedly still waiting to notify next of kin before they officially identify the victims.
Chesney has loved the Caribbean for years, and he was writing his Song for the Saints album’s title track when Hurricane Irma hit the islands back in 2017. The country music star penned “Love for Love City” just two days later.
“The destruction was too much, and there were too many other places that were hurting,” Chesney said in a statement in June of 2018, according to People Magazine. “When I realized the help that had to happen, I did what I could to facilitate getting things done.”
“But even more powerful to me were the people of the No Shoes Nation, who stepped up and gave what they could,” he added. “They showed me how people come together in times of crisis to lift up people they don’t even know.”
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