British musician couple killed in Swiss light aircraft crash

GENEVA (Reuters) – A British composer of film and television music and an acclaimed saxophonist died along with their baby in a plane crash in Switzerland on Sunday, a family spokesman said on Tuesday.

The couple, Jonathan Goldstein and Hannah Marcinowicz, had posted updates of their trip on Facebook, with a last update from Lausanne on Saturday afternoon and pictures of him flying their small plane while she held their infant daughter. They left Lausanne’s La Blecherette airport early on Sunday.

Police in the Swiss canton of Valais did not name the family but said a Piper aircraft heading for Italy crashed into the Simplon Pass in the Alps around 10.25 a.m. (0825 GMT) on Sunday, after taking off from a Swiss airfield, killing three people including a baby.

“We are all devastated by the news of Jonathan, Hannah and Saskia’s deaths. We loved them all so very much. They were so happy together and we will miss them terribly,” the family spokesman said in a statement. “We would ask the media to respect the family’s privacy at this extremely difficult time.”

Goldstein had worked on films including “Cape Fear” and was a prolific composer of music for television and cinema commercials. Marcinowicz, a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, had played with many of Britain’s leading orchestras, according to her website.

Goldstein also headed Goldstein Music Group, a production agency providing music and sounds for advertising, branding, marketing, broadcast and film.

(Reporting by Tom Miles; Editing by Mark Heinrich)