'Tarzan's' Joe Lara dies in a plane crash; heartbroken netizens mourn death of the actor

American actor Joe Lara, an actor from the famous adventure TV series Tarzan: The Epic Adventures, passed away in a plane crash. The 58-year-old was with his wife and five others when the private jet crashed into a Tennessee lake. The private jet, a Cessna 501, took off on Saturday from Smyrna Airport, outside of Nashville, and was headed toward Palm Beach. However, the jet plunged into Percy Priest Lake not too long after takeoff. 

As soon as the news of Joe Lara and his wife Gwen Shamblin's death broke on the internet, a handful of fans and netizens paid their last respect. "He was in his late 58 and she was just 66. And others died too. So awful!", wrote a Twitter user. Meanwhile, Joe's American Cyborg co-star Nicole Hansen also tweeted to mourn the death of the former. In her brief note, she extended her deepest condolences to Joe's family while mentioning that though they had their "differences of opinion", she did have respect for his work ethic. On the other hand, many fans landed into the comments section of Joe's previous Instagram posts and flooded it with "RIP". 

Joe Lara's death

Via a news release on late Saturday, County officials identified the victims as Brandon Hannah, Gwen S Lara, William J Lara, David L. Martin, Jennifer J Martin, Jessica Walters and Jonathan Walters, all of Brentwood, Tennessee. Their names were disclosed after family members had been notified. Later, on Sunday, Capt John Ingle of Rutherford County Fire Rescue said in a statement to AP that recovery efforts were ongoing at Percy Priest Lake near Smyrna. The investigation will also be focused on examining a half-mile-wide debris field in the lake.

Joe and Gwen are survived by her two children from the latter's first marriage, Elizabeth Hannah and Michael Shamblin, as well as a daughter from Joe's previous relationship. The website of Remnant Fellowship, founded by Gwen, wrote a tribute to the victims of the plane crash. "The seven Remnant Fellowship leaders lost May 29, 2021 were some of the finest and most loving people that you would ever come across. During this horrible tragedy, our church would greatly appreciate prayers," read an excerpt of the statement of the church. 

IMAGE: JOE LARA'S IG