Frederick M. Brown/Getty ImagesJenni Rivera's heartbreaking death due to a plane crash has now officially been confirmed, and friends, family and fans continue to mourn the loss of the beloved Latina superstar.
Mun2 and Telemundo Media—the network which aired Rivera's popular show I Love Jenni—has released a statement on the singer's tragic passing.
"It is with a heavy heart that both the mun2 and Telemundo Media family mourn the tragic passing of Mexican-American entertainment icon and mun2 star of I Love Jenni, Jenni Rivera," Diana Mogollon, general manager of mun2 and Emilio Romano, president of Telemundo Media, said in a statement. "Jenni was one of the most influential, authentic and captivating Latinas in entertainment. She was a loving mother, grandmother, sister, daughter and friend, who broke through the language barrier and connected with millions of fans in a unique, powerful and lasting way."
The statement also paid tribute to Rivera's talented team:
"She was a Grammy-nominated singer, a multiple platinum and gold record award winning artist who performed sold out concerts across numerous countries. She will be greatly missed. Our hearts go out to Jenni's entire family and manager Pete Salgado on her loss and the loss of their team members. Our condolences to the families and friends of the four members of Jenni's team who also lost their lives—Mario Macias, attorney, Arturo Rivera, publicist, Jorge Sanchez also known as La GG, personal stylist, and Jacob Yebale, makeup. Our hearts and prayers go out to all of them."
Romano and Mogollon aren't the only Telemundo members speaking out. E! News sat down with other Telemundo employees and actors at the New York Stock Exchange in Times Square to discuss Rivera's untimely death.
"The whole Latin community is very heartfelt about the situation. It was so unexpected and, you know, she is an icon," actor Shilam Ortiz said of the star's passing.
"She's going to live forever," echoed Rafael Amaya while also expressing his shock. "I have no words it took me by surprise. You never know."
"We are all sad. We lost a really really good human being. It's really sad for the industry," said Ximena Duque. "And it's when you say life, you know, it's just so short that you have to enjoy."
"I'm still in shock. She was a great legend, a friend and a wonderful woman" Jacqueline Hernandez, said Telemundo honcho. "Losing her is a big loss to our whole community."
"Jenni's loss is like losing a family member. She was part of the Telemundo family," said Susan Solano Vila, Telemundo's vice president of marketing. "So our hearts really are very heavy today, for her, her loss. So we're here it's a business day, it's a rebrand that we've been working on for a long time, so you have to go on, but, yeah, it's very bittersweet day for us."
She continues, adding that Rivera's legacy will never be forgotten:
"She leaves an amazing family and I know she will always live in their hearts and in the hearts of her fans. Like I said, it's a really sad day for all of us."