Country singer Rick dies in helicopter crash in Santa Catarina after visiting Father Luso

Before becoming one of the biggest names in country music in the country, singer Rick was taken to meet Father Luso de Barros Mattos, who died in 1987 and is undergoing a beatification process. During the meeting with the religious leader at the seminary, in Porto Nacional, in the central region of the state, Rick heard the prophecy that he would make a living from music. The singer died in a plane crash with four other people in Santa Catarina.

Rick was in the helicopter that crashed in Santa Catarina. In addition to him, businessman Bruno Avelar, videomaker Paulo Soares, pilot Antônio Roberto Nóbrega de Araújo and co-pilot Leopoldo Barros Teixeira were on the aircraft. The wreckage of the helicopter was found this Tuesday. No one survived the fall. The bodies were removed by air, using ropes, due to the difficulty in accessing the location.

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According to Zulmira Gonzaga, president of the Association of Friends of Padre Luso and minister of the Eucharist at the Diocesan Cathedral Nossa Senhora das Mercês, Rick was taken by his father to Porto Nacional at a time when he still did not attend masses and dedicated himself to playing in bars.

Concerned about the young man's future, the parents sought guidance from the priest, known throughout the former North of Goiás as a priest counselor. According to the minister, by welcoming the young singer into the church, the priest anticipated the successful path he would have in life.

"Father Luso said: 'Look, my little son, I see that you're not much of a church person, but I see, my son, that you're going to earn your living through your voice. It's through your voice that you're going to earn your living'", he said.

Singer visited a church and shared memories about the priest with whom he remained close — Photo: Reproduction/Personal archive of Zulmira Gonzaga

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The blessing included advice for the artist, asking him to never abandon his spiritual side. "What I say to you is that you never turn away from God. Always be in the presence of God", warned the priest at the time, according to Zulmira.

In a video shared by Zulmira, the artist recalled the visit to the church to meet Padre Luso.

"I was here with my mother and my father. And one thing really surprised me [...], I heard his voice saying: 'Son, I'm here'. He already knew we were going to come", highlighted the countryman in 2022.

Father Luso had the beatification process authorized by the Vatican in November 2022. Currently with the title of Servant of God, the religious undergoes the beatification process.

Helicopter left the North Coast of SC

The aircraft took off from Porto Belo, on the North Coast, in the morning, bound for São Joaquim, in Serra, and did not arrive at the scheduled location. The region had a forecast of strong storms, according to the National Institute of Meteorology (Inmet).

Firefighters received a call around 4pm on Monday about the disappearance of the aircraft. The searches began during the night and were reinforced on Tuesday morning.

Due to the region being difficult to access, the removal was carried out aerially, using ropes. After removal, the bodies were taken to the Legal Medical Institute (IML) in Florianópolis, where they will undergo forensic examinations.

The helicopter model is the PP-MGR - Bell 430. The helicopter has capacity for one pilot and seven passengers. The maximum take-off weight is 4,218 kilograms in the version with ski-type landing gear.

The wreckage of the helicopter was found this Tuesday. There were five occupants on the aircraft and no one survived.

As it was a difficult-to-access region, the bodies were removed by air, using ropes. They were taken to the Legal Medical Institute (IML) in Florianópolis, where they will undergo expert examinations.

Infographic - Singer Rick and 4 others die after helicopter crash in SC — Photo: Arte/g1

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