The Brazilian star singer Marília Mendonça (26) was killed in a plane crash.

Her death caused national consternation and grief right up to the presidential office.

"The whole country is shocked about the death of one of the greatest artists of her generation," wrote President Jair Bolsonaro on Twitter on Friday evening (local time).

"The feeling is that we have lost someone who was very close to us, because Marília was always present in our lives through her songs."

The Latin Grammy winner died in the crash of the small plane on the way from Goiânia near Caratinga, as the fire department of the state of Minas Gerais announced.

Accordingly, there were five victims: The pilot and co-pilot, Mendonça's producer Henrique Ribeiro and her uncle and advisor Abicieli Silveira Dias Filho were also killed.

"I refuse to believe it"

There was initially no information on the cause of the crash.

The plane carrying Mendonça had flown into a high-voltage line, reported the Brazilian news portal "G1" and the newspaper "Folha de S. Paulo".

In a video published on Mendonça's Instagram account, she was seen walking towards an airplane with a guitar case in hand.

“Concert weekend in Minas Gerais,” it said.

The Brazilian soccer star Neymar, who was considered a friend of Mendonça, tweeted: "I refuse to believe it." Music greats like Caetano Veloso and Gal Costa said goodbye to her on Twitter.

Mendonça was one of the most famous and popular singers in Brazil.

She had 40 million followers on Instagram, and in 2019 she won the Latin Grammy with the album "Em Todos os Cantos".

She was nominated in 2017 and 2021.

Mendonça conquered Brazil with intense and romantic lyrics and melodies.

She revolutionized "Sertanejo", a type of Brazilian country music, internationally known through the song "Ai Se Eu Te Pego" by Michel Telo.

For a long time, the genre was shaped almost exclusively by men.

Mendonça enhanced the feminine tone and also sang on feminist issues.

Hits like “Infiel” with the furious complaint about her aunt's unfaithful husband made Mendonça the “Rainha da Sofrência”, the queen of suffering.

The songs were not only well received by many women.

Mendonça was one of the most listened to artists in Brazil on streaming services like Spotify.

The governor of Mendonça's home state Goiás, Ronaldo Caiado, expected 100,000 people on Saturday for the public memorial service in the “Goiânia Arena”, as he wrote on Twitter.

Mendonça leaves behind a son who will turn two in December.