(LEX 18) — A Kentucky-based Christian singer is remembering his former tourmates after a tragic plane crash in Wyoming last week.
Three members of one of the country's most beloved gospel families, The Nelons, were among the seven people killed in the crash.
Mark Bishop told LEX 18 the Nelons were not only musically gifted, but they connected with fans on stage and off.
"You would want to be friends with them," he said. "They were cheerful, outgoing, and loved on people. They loved their fans, and that was no doubt part of their appeal."
Bishop was friends with the family for decades. Their groups shared the same booking agency.
"They were certainly talented in every aspect," he said. "They could play instruments, sing, and just sang like angels."
Jason Clark, Kelly Nelon Clark and their daughter Amber Nelon Kistler were headed to perform on a Christian music cruise to Alaska last Friday when their plane crashed in northern Wyoming.
Amber's husband Nathan Kistler, their assistant Melodi Hodges, the pilot Larry Haynie, and his wife Melissa, also died in the crash.
Jason and Kelly's youngest daughter Autumn, who's expecting a baby, was on a different flight with her husband.
Bishop said that Autumn is surrounded by support as she grieves her parents and older sister.
"The Nelons believed in what they sang," he said.
Bishop himself is also comforted by their music as he mourns his longtime friends.
"Yes, it leaves a big hole here, but the wonderful thing singing Christian music is we know this is not the end of the story," he said. "This is just the beginning of the story. So all of the things they've been singing about all of their lives, it's manifested, and now they see it as reality."
The Nelons were slated to play at the Ark Encounter in Northern Kentucky on August 12th, during the world's largest Christian music festival.
