Glen de Vries, a businessman who flew to space last month with Jeff Bezos' company Blue Origin, died in a small plane crash on Thursday. He was 49, according to New Jersey State Police.
The plane crashed in Sussex County, New Jersey, just before 3 p.m. De Vries and 54-year-old Thomas P. Fischer were killed. The FAA is investigating the crash, state police said.
"We are devastated to hear of the sudden passing of Glen de Vries. He brought so much life and energy to the entire Blue Origin team and to his fellow crewmates," Blue Origin tweeted. "His passion for aviation, his charitable work, and his dedication to his craft will long be revered and admired."
De Vries, a private pilot in his spare time, was trained as a molecular biologist and co-founded Medidata Solutions, the most-used clinical research platform in the world. The company's software has managed more than 25,000 clinical trials involving more than seven million patients. Dassault Systèmes acquired the company in 2019 for $5.8 billion.
"Our thoughts and support go out to Glen's family," a Dassault Systèmes spokesperson said in a statement on Friday. "Our deepest sympathy also goes out to our MEDIDATA team, which Glen co-founded. His tireless energy, empathy and pioneering spirit left their mark on everyone who knew him. We will truly miss Glen, but his dreams — which we share — live on: we will pursue progress in life sciences & healthcare as passionately as he did."