Jenni Rivera, the flamboyant, outspoken, big-voiced singer who was the top-selling regional Mexican female star of her generation was confirmed dead after the small private plane in which she was traveling in Mexico crashed. Her relatives confirmed the news to Telemundo. Rivera was 43 years old.

Fully comfortable in English and Spanish, Rivera was at the height of her career and stood out not only as one of the very few Latin women consistently on the charts, but also as the only Latina singer poised to make major inroads in U.S. network television. That Rivera was able to do so coming not from a pop background -- like most crossovers have -- but singing traditional Mexican music, was a testament to her tremendous appeal as a performer and as a personality.