Christian Oliver's wife honors 'beloved' “Speed Racer” actor and their daughters after fatal plane crash

Oliver and his daughters, who were 10 and 12, were killed when the aircraft plummeted into the ocean on Thursday.

The wife of actor Christian Oliver is paying tribute to her “beloved” husband and their two daughters after they were killed in a plane crash in the Caribbean on Thursday.

A statement from “Jessica Klepser and family” was published on Wundabar Pilates’ Instagram account by company owner Amy Jordan on Friday. Klepser is the pilates studio’s regional manager in California, according to the post.

"We are deeply saddened by the tragic plane accident on Jan. 4, 2024, which took the lives of our beloved family members,” it read. “Our daughters, Madita (12), and Annik (10), along with their father, Christian, were returning from a holiday in the Caribbean when the single-engine plane they were traveling in experienced engine trouble and fell into the ocean. Unfortunately, all four passengers on the small aircraft did not survive.”

The Speed Racer and Good German star, whose real name is Christian Klepser, and his two young daughters were aboard a small plane when it plummeted into the ocean around noon in Bequia, the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force reported. In addition to the family, the plane’s pilot, Robert Sachs, was killed.

In their Instagram statement, Klepser and her family remembered 12-year-old Madita as a "vibrant" 7th grade student who was “known for her lively spirit and excelled in academics, dance, singing, and performances.” Annik, who was 10, was a 4th grade student who was “recognized for her gentle yet strong demeanor” and “always the first to offer a kind word or a comforting hug.” It continued, “Her passions included basketball, swimming, and various forms of art.”

The girls’ “deep bond, infectious laughter, and adventurous spirit” will be “profoundly missed in their communities,” the statement read. The late siblings are survived by Klepser as well as their grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins in Germany.

"Christian, an actor in Europe and the U.S. and a real estate agent with a broad network of close friends worldwide, is survived by Jessica, his parents, and sister in Germany,” statement continued. “His loss will be deeply felt by all who knew him.”

The family concluded their statement by requesting privacy and shared a GoFundMe link, created for them by a person named Sarah Silverman, asking for donations in lieu of flowers.

A statement on the fundraiser's page, which has already surpassed its $100,000 goal, noted that donations would be used to “help cover the cost of returning Christian and the girls home, funeral and memorial services, [and] legal expenses, and will go a long way in support of Jessica and the extended family during this terribly difficult time.”

Oliver had a long list of credits that also included the sitcom Saved by the Bell: The New Class and the German police procedural drama Alarm für Cobra 11. He most recently appeared in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and the TV movie English Estate. Oliver had also wrapped filming the movie Forever Hold Your Peace, for which he was a producer, in December.

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Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.