Groundbreaking music executive Dave Shapiro has died in a San Diego plane crash. He was 42. The music agency Sound Talent Group confirmed Shapiro died in the crash.

Shapiro was one of the several who died in a San Diego plane crash in May 2025. Learn about the late talent agent here.

Shapiro, co-founder of Sound Talent Group, and two employees were among those killed in the San Diego plane crash.

Music executive Dave Shapiro, whose clients have included Sum 41, Dave Navarro, Hanson and Bush, was among the people killed in a plane crash in San Diego.

Shapiro, who co-founded music agency Sound Talent Group, was a well-known and respected figure in the rock and metal scene, credited with helping many alternative bands find audiences in the mainstream. Some of his clients include major acts like Sum 41, Pierce the Veil, and The Devil Wears Prada.

Dave Shapiro was a music talent agent and pilot who filled his Instagram page with videos showing him flying planes. "Flying back with @davevelocity," former rocker Daniel Williams wrote on his Instagram story, using Shapiro's Instagram handle, and sharing a photo of the plane.

Sound Talent Group confirmed to the Associated Press that company co-founder Dave Shapiro and two other employees were among six people on board a plane that crashed in San Diego’s Murphy Canyon.