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Troy Gentry, half of country duo Montgomery Gentry, dies in New Jersey helicopter crash

Troy Gentry

LUMBERTON, N.J. (AP) — The official website for Montgomery Gentry says Troy Gentry, half of the country duo, has died in a New Jersey helicopter crash.

The Federal Aviation Administration says the helicopter crashed into a wooded area Friday afternoon  at approximately 1 p.m. near the Flying W Airport in Medford.

The airport also houses a resort and was scheduled to host a concert by the country duo on Friday night. The airport announced the cancellation of the gig Friday afternoon.

The pilot of the helicopter also died.

Gentry was born April 5, 1967, in Lexington, Kentucky, where he met bandmate Eddie Montgomery and formed a group based off their last names.

The duo had success on the country charts, scoring five No. 1 hits. The band was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2009.

A Medford Police Department spokesman says the helicopter pilot was 30-year-old James Evan Robinson, of Meigs, Georgia. Crews removed Robinson’s body from the mangled wreckage after several hours.

Authorities say Gentry was a passenger in the helicopter and crews removed him from the wreckage but he was pronounced dead at a hospital. Gentry was from Kentucky.

The band’s website calls Gentry’s death “tragic” and says details of the crash are unknown.

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