Monterrey, Mexico (CNN) --
Millions of fans on both sides of the
U.S.-Mexico border are mourning the
death of Jenni Rivera, whose
performances of soulful ballads sold
out concert halls and made the
singer a household name for many.
Crews were set to resume the search
Monday for Rivera's remains amid
the wreckage of a plane that crashed
in the remote, mountainous area in
northern Mexico on Sunday.
"The plane was totally destroyed. ... It
is a great tragedy," her brother,
Gustavo Rivera, told CNN en Español.
Six others were killed, including the
singer's publicist, lawyer and
makeup artists, he said. Family
members were planning to travel to
Mexico on Monday as investigators
work to determine what caused the
crash.
The small Learjet plane
that Rivera was flying in
was 43 years old, the
state-run Notimex news
agency reported, citing
the director of civil
aviation for Mexico's
Transportation Ministry.
Collecting evidence at the
scene could take up to 10
days, Alejandro Argudin
said, according to
Notimex. The wreckage,
which includes personal
items that belonged to the
singer, was spread out
over an area that spans up
to 300 meters (more than
320 yards), officials said.
The U.S. National
Transportation Safety
Board said Monday that it
was dispatching a team to
help with the
investigation.
Meanwhile, fans, family members
and entertainers said they were
devastated to learn of Rivera's death.
"The world rarely sees someone who
has had such a profound impact on
so many," Universal Music Group
said in a statement. "From her
incredibly versatile talent to the way
she embraced her fans around the
world, Jenni was simply
incomparable. "
Known to fans as "La Diva de la
Banda" or The Diva of Banda Music,
Rivera was well established as a
musical powerhouse with her
Spanish-language performances of
regional Mexican corridos, or
ballads. For fans, the nickname
captured her powerful voice and the
personal strength many admired.
In recent years, she had been
working to crack the English-
language U.S. market and was
reportedly on the verge of a
crossover with a sitcom inspired by
the success of "I Love Jenni," a
Spanish-language reality TV show on
Telemundo's mun2 network.
She sold 15 million records,
according to Billboard, and recently
won two Billboard Music Awards,
including favorite Mexican music
female artist.
But she started out small.
In an interview with CNN en Español
in 2010, Rivera spoke about how she
once sold cans for scrap metal and
hawked music records at her
family's stand at a Los Angeles flea
market.
"It is very flattering when they tell
me that I'm a great artist, a great
entertainer, that when I'm on stage I
can get in the recording studio and
come up with a great production,"
she said. "But before all of that, I was
a businesswoman. I'm primarily
business-minded."
Rivera eventually became the owner
of several companies, including
Jenni Rivera Enterprises, which
produced and marketed her music, a
fragrance brand, a jeans factory and
a television production company.
Rivera was nominated for Latin
Grammy Awards in 2002, 2008 and
2011. In October, People en Espanol
named her to its list of the 25 most
powerful women.
She was beloved by fans as much for
her music as her over-the-top
lifestyle that was chronicled in "I
Love Jenni" on Telemundo.
Born in Long Beach, California, to
Mexican immigrant parents, Rivera,
43, released her debut album in
1999, according to her website.
She followed that up with two more
albums, including the 2003 album
"Farewell to Selena" -- a tribute to
slain Tejano star Selena Quintanilla
-- that increased her popularity.
Her father, Pedro, and two of her
brothers also are well-known
performers in Mexico and portions
of the southwestern United States.
Famous for her music, she is also
known for her tumultuous personal
life. The singer was a single mom at
the age of 15 and is the mother of
five, her website said.
In 2009, she made headlines when
she was detained at the Mexico City
airport with tens of thousands of
dollars in cash.
A year later, she made headlines
again with the marriage to former
baseball pitcher Esteban Loaiza, who
played for the New York Yankees and
the Los Angeles Dodgers. In October,
she announced she was filing for
divorce after less than two years of
marriage. It was her third marriage.
She told CNN in 2010 that she
wouldn't let scandals or personal
tragedy stop her.
"Staying defeated, crying and
suffering was not an option," she
said. "I had to get off my feet, dust
myself off and press on. That's what
I want to teach my daughters."
"I Love Jenni," which began airing on
mun2 last year, featured her life on
the road, balancing the duties of
motherhood and stardom as she
toured Mexico and the United States.
She also was a judge on the popular
TV show, "The Voice, Mexico," which
was scheduled to air Sunday night.
In its place, Televisa said it would air
a special report about the singer.
A fellow judge on the show took to
Twitter after news of Rivera's
disappearance.
"My heart is devastated," wrote Beto
Cuevas. "All my prayers are with you,
Jenni, and your family."
Fans and celebrities took to social
media to mourn the singer and
television star.
"Spent some time with Jenni Rivera
recently. What an amazing lady ...
Cool, smart, funny & talented. Such a
travesty ... God Bless her family,"
actor Mario Lopez tweeted.
Mexican singing sensation Paulina
Rubio was inconsolable on Twitter.
"My friend! Why? There is no
consolation. God, please help me!"
she tweeted.
Rivera performed at a concert in
Monterrey on Saturday night before
boarding the Learjet, which took off
early Sunday and lost contact with
air traffic controllers about 60 miles
into the trip.
Just hours before she died, Rivera
opened up to reporters about her
divorce and the inner strength she
found, thanks to her family.
"I'm so happy. So many strong
things have happened in my life. I
can't get up in the negative, which
destroys you," she said.
"I have brothers. I have children. I
have nephews. And they keep me
from focusing on the negative."
Millions of fans on both sides of the
U.S.-Mexico border are mourning the
death of Jenni Rivera, whose
performances of soulful ballads sold
out concert halls and made the
singer a household name for many.
Crews were set to resume the search
Monday for Rivera's remains amid
the wreckage of a plane that crashed
in the remote, mountainous area in
northern Mexico on Sunday.
"The plane was totally destroyed. ... It
is a great tragedy," her brother,
Gustavo Rivera, told CNN en Español.
Six others were killed, including the
singer's publicist, lawyer and
makeup artists, he said. Family
members were planning to travel to
Mexico on Monday as investigators
work to determine what caused the
crash.
The small Learjet plane
that Rivera was flying in
was 43 years old, the
state-run Notimex news
agency reported, citing
the director of civil
aviation for Mexico's
Transportation Ministry.
Collecting evidence at the
scene could take up to 10
days, Alejandro Argudin
said, according to
Notimex. The wreckage,
which includes personal
items that belonged to the
singer, was spread out
over an area that spans up
to 300 meters (more than
320 yards), officials said.
The U.S. National
Transportation Safety
Board said Monday that it
was dispatching a team to
help with the
investigation.
Meanwhile, fans, family members
and entertainers said they were
devastated to learn of Rivera's death.
"The world rarely sees someone who
has had such a profound impact on
so many," Universal Music Group
said in a statement. "From her
incredibly versatile talent to the way
she embraced her fans around the
world, Jenni was simply
incomparable. "
Known to fans as "La Diva de la
Banda" or The Diva of Banda Music,
Rivera was well established as a
musical powerhouse with her
Spanish-language performances of
regional Mexican corridos, or
ballads. For fans, the nickname
captured her powerful voice and the
personal strength many admired.
In recent years, she had been
working to crack the English-
language U.S. market and was
reportedly on the verge of a
crossover with a sitcom inspired by
the success of "I Love Jenni," a
Spanish-language reality TV show on
Telemundo's mun2 network.
She sold 15 million records,
according to Billboard, and recently
won two Billboard Music Awards,
including favorite Mexican music
female artist.
But she started out small.
In an interview with CNN en Español
in 2010, Rivera spoke about how she
once sold cans for scrap metal and
hawked music records at her
family's stand at a Los Angeles flea
market.
"It is very flattering when they tell
me that I'm a great artist, a great
entertainer, that when I'm on stage I
can get in the recording studio and
come up with a great production,"
she said. "But before all of that, I was
a businesswoman. I'm primarily
business-minded."
Rivera eventually became the owner
of several companies, including
Jenni Rivera Enterprises, which
produced and marketed her music, a
fragrance brand, a jeans factory and
a television production company.
Rivera was nominated for Latin
Grammy Awards in 2002, 2008 and
2011. In October, People en Espanol
named her to its list of the 25 most
powerful women.
She was beloved by fans as much for
her music as her over-the-top
lifestyle that was chronicled in "I
Love Jenni" on Telemundo.
Born in Long Beach, California, to
Mexican immigrant parents, Rivera,
43, released her debut album in
1999, according to her website.
She followed that up with two more
albums, including the 2003 album
"Farewell to Selena" -- a tribute to
slain Tejano star Selena Quintanilla
-- that increased her popularity.
Her father, Pedro, and two of her
brothers also are well-known
performers in Mexico and portions
of the southwestern United States.
Famous for her music, she is also
known for her tumultuous personal
life. The singer was a single mom at
the age of 15 and is the mother of
five, her website said.
In 2009, she made headlines when
she was detained at the Mexico City
airport with tens of thousands of
dollars in cash.
A year later, she made headlines
again with the marriage to former
baseball pitcher Esteban Loaiza, who
played for the New York Yankees and
the Los Angeles Dodgers. In October,
she announced she was filing for
divorce after less than two years of
marriage. It was her third marriage.
She told CNN in 2010 that she
wouldn't let scandals or personal
tragedy stop her.
"Staying defeated, crying and
suffering was not an option," she
said. "I had to get off my feet, dust
myself off and press on. That's what
I want to teach my daughters."
"I Love Jenni," which began airing on
mun2 last year, featured her life on
the road, balancing the duties of
motherhood and stardom as she
toured Mexico and the United States.
She also was a judge on the popular
TV show, "The Voice, Mexico," which
was scheduled to air Sunday night.
In its place, Televisa said it would air
a special report about the singer.
A fellow judge on the show took to
Twitter after news of Rivera's
disappearance.
"My heart is devastated," wrote Beto
Cuevas. "All my prayers are with you,
Jenni, and your family."
Fans and celebrities took to social
media to mourn the singer and
television star.
"Spent some time with Jenni Rivera
recently. What an amazing lady ...
Cool, smart, funny & talented. Such a
travesty ... God Bless her family,"
actor Mario Lopez tweeted.
Mexican singing sensation Paulina
Rubio was inconsolable on Twitter.
"My friend! Why? There is no
consolation. God, please help me!"
she tweeted.
Rivera performed at a concert in
Monterrey on Saturday night before
boarding the Learjet, which took off
early Sunday and lost contact with
air traffic controllers about 60 miles
into the trip.
Just hours before she died, Rivera
opened up to reporters about her
divorce and the inner strength she
found, thanks to her family.
"I'm so happy. So many strong
things have happened in my life. I
can't get up in the negative, which
destroys you," she said.
"I have brothers. I have children. I
have nephews. And they keep me
from focusing on the negative."
