Guy Sebastian has revealed that two of his close friends were killed in a plane crash over the weekend.
On Saturday morning, a light aircraft burst into flames just seconds after it took off from Shellharbour airport in NSW, killing the three people on board, Andrew Connors, 55, his wife Julianne, 54, and their friend Colin McLachlan, 73.
The singer, who was a close friend of the Connors, found out hours after the accident, and took to social media to share a tribute to the “three wonderful people”.
“Andrew and Jules Connors were the kindest, most generous people you could know,” Sebastian wrote on Facebook.
Sebastian and Andrew first met 15 years ago, when the Andrew, who was a builder, told him he was being “ripped off” on a building job.
“He did the job for less than a quarter of what I was quoted from other builders,” the singer continued.
“That was the start of a friendship and the first of many acts of integrity and honour that I witnessed from Andrew.”
He shared a few photos of them throughout the years, including a few from their fishing or snow trips and one of them on board a light plane.
“He LOVED his family and mates with everything he had. He built shelters for our foundation to help women escaping violence. He was a volunteer pilot for the flying doctors.
“He was always front and centre at the Convoy and so many charities. Even down to making sure he donated blood.
“Andrew and Jules epitomised what it meant to be a shining light in a community.”
He added that Andrew was one of his greatest supporters and would be “always checking in”.
“The world is not the same without them,” Sebastian continued.
“Thinking of the families involved and sending love to the Connors and Colins family. Absolutely heartbroken.”
Sebastian’s Facebook post has been flooded with thousands of messages of condolences.
Investigators believe the plane crashed just seconds after takeoff, bursting into flames moments after it hit the runway.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is now examining maintenance records, weather conditions and CCTV footage to determine what went wrong.
Images: Instagram
