Dan Fordice, the son of former Mississippi Gov. Kirk Fordice, was killed in a plane crash Tuesday, according to several news outlets and current elected officials.
WLBT-TV was the first to receive confirmation that a single-engine plane crash took the life of Fordice. The crash happened around 3 p.m. at the Vicksburg-Tallulah Regional Airport in Madison Parish, La. The local sheriff’s office had confirmed one fatality but did not immediately release the name of the deceased. Fordice was the only person on board at the time of the crash.
Fordice, a Vicksburg native who served director emeritus of Fordice Construction Company, was also a military veteran who founded the Warrior Bonfire Program, a nonprofit that provides retreats and other opportunities to Purple Heart recipients to help them in their recovery journeys. Fordice served in the U.S. Army and Mississippi National Guard and was an avid flyer.
Elected officials, including Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann and State Auditor Shad White, issued their condolences on social media shortly after the news broke.
“We are devastated by the loss of Dan Fordice, husband, father, and businessman who may be best known for creating Warrior Bonfire to help military veterans survive the effects of war and provide them hope for the future,” Hosemann said.
“Saddened by the loss of my friend, Dan Fordice, son of former Gov. Kirk Fordice. Every Fordice I ever met was a fighter and truth-teller. We need more of those, and we lost a good one today. Prayers for the Fordice family this evening,” White added.
Fordice’s father, Kirk, served as Mississippi’s governor from 1992 to 2000.