Singer Andy Grammer is paying tribute to late-sports journalist Carley McCord, who was one of five passengers who tragically lost their lives on Saturday, December 28 in a private plane crash while traveling from Louisiana to Atlanta, Georgia for the College Football Playoff semifinal clash between LSU and Oklahoma.
Grammer took to social media to honor the 30-year-old McCord, who used lyrics from Grammer’s hit song “Keep Your Head Up” in her final Instagram post.
The singer posted a video on his Instagram account where he sent a message to McCord’s family.
“To the McCord family, I am so sorry about your daughter,” Grammer said in his post. “I am with you. I love you.” He captioned the video, “I just opened Instagram to see that a sweet girl had passed in a plane crash. She was a fan and her last post in her story was a lyric to my song Keep your head up. We are all so connected.”
McCord, who is the daughter-in-law of LSU offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger, was traveling with a small group to the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta when the private plane crashed shortly after takeoff.
The plane carrying McCord and other passengers reached an altitude of 900 feet before experiencing difficulties. There was no distress signal sent from the plane before it crashed, according to vice chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board Bruce Landsberg.
“We are devastated by the loss of such an amazing talent and valued member of our WDSU family,” said the station’s vice president and general manager, Joel Vilmenay, via NBC News. “Carley’s passion for sports journalism and her deep knowledge of Louisiana sports, from High School to the Professional ranks, made her an exceptional journalist. As we reflect on her impressive body of work, we offer our deepest condolences to her family.”
The exact cause of the crash remains unknown.
Other deceased victims included the 51-year-old pilot Ian Biggs and a 15-year-old boy, Michael Vincent.
