The Florida plane crash victims were headed to the Bahamas to celebrate Adam Robinson's birthday when their trip took a tragic turn ... TMZ has learned.
Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Adam, his wife Helen Sharp, and their two young children were traveling to the tropical destination for a birthday celebration when the private jet they were on crashed Sunday, killing everyone on board.
We're told the family was planning to spend about a week in The Bahamas.
Adam Robinson, the tech entrepreneur killed alongside his wife and two young children in a horrific Florida plane crash, was telling a friend just how well life was going days before the tragedy ... TMZ has learned.
Jesse Ouellette, a friend of Adam's, tells TMZ ... the businessman recently shared how happy he was with his life, saying things were "going too well" as his businesses continued to grow and his family was loving life in Aspen, Colorado.
Jesse remembered Adam as an incredible person, telling TMZ ... "His loss will be deeply felt by the software founders who knew him as a friend and colleague."
He added ... "He challenged the way things were done and was far ahead of his time. It's heartbreaking that we lost him so soon."
The passengers on the private jet that crashed in Florida have been identified ... they were a family of four from Texas ... and they were traveling with their nanny and two friends ... TMZ has learned.
Onboard the Learjet 60 that crashed Sunday were 44-year-old Austin tech entrepreneur Adam Robinson, plus his wife Helen, their two kids, and two close friends ... sources close to the family tell TMZ.
The Robinsons had their nanny with them ... and the two pilots also died.
The NTSB held a news conference Monday, confirming ice began to form on the plane in the middle of moderate turbulence. The crew asked to increase altitude from 35,000 feet to 37,000 feet shortly before an emergency was declared.
The crew, along with 7 passengers, perished in the crash.
Justin Timberlake is gearing up to revisit some of the biggest controversies of his career ... including his infamous Super Bowl performance with Janet Jackson and his past relationship with Britney Spears.
According to Variety, Justin is set to release a four part tell all docuseries on Apple TV in December ... and Janet will reportedly appear to discuss their notorious 2004 Super Bowl halftime show, when Justin exposed her breast in what became known as the "wardrobe malfunction."
And that's not all ... the outlet reports Justin will also address some of his ex-girlfriend Britney's recent comments.
Nathalia Gadelha -- the 20-year-old co-pilot who died in the plane crash in Palm Beach County on Sunday -- sent her boyfriend one final text message before the fatal impact.
The New York Post says it spoke to Nathalia's stepfather, Thiago Cortelet ... who told the outlet he believes Nathalia texted her boyfriend around 12:40 PM ET ... roughly 10 minutes before the fatal crash.
TMZ takes Vegas ... Harveychallenged 3 TMZ staffers to live it up in Vegas for 24 hours ... and whoever had the best day wins a $20,000 trip to the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Here's the thing ... it's not up to Harvey ... it's up to YOU!
We sent Talia, Cris and Luca on TMZ's 24-Hour Las Vegas Takeover, where they each stayed in different hotels, enjoyed different activities and soaked up different nightlife events.
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We'll be showing you all of it ... and you'll vote each day on who took over Vegas best!
We caught up with the acclaimed actress at LAX on Monday, where she tells us she hopes "The Murder of JonBenÃĐt Ramsey" sparks new investigation into the decades-long cold case.
Melissa -- who transforms into JonBenet's mom, Patsy, for the show -- also hopes the miniseries will inspire people to have more empathy for the people involved in true crime tragedies.
Check out the clip ... she tells us people have gotten a little too comfortable treating real-life horrors like spectator sports.
Three guns, multiple bullets and a disturbing warning call ... new details are emerging about the death of a woman linked to Tony Parker and Eva Longoria's infamous split.
According to a police report obtained by Page Six, officers found three firearms and multiple bullets inside the Texas home of Erin Benavides, who died by suicide on October 14.
The report also reveals authorities received a call around 7:08 PM from someone saying a woman had threatened to take her own life ... prompting police to respond to the Port Aransas home.
The families of the victims killed in Sunday's horrific private jet crash in Florida are breaking their silence ... remembering their loved ones in an emotional statement.
In a joint statement Monday, the families of Adam Robinson, his wife Helen Sharp, their two young children and three other passengers confirmed their deaths, saying they are heartbroken over the tragedy.
The families remembered Adam and Helen as devoted parents to their children, Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2, who were the light of their lives.
A former Ohio State University professor has been sentenced to life in prison after admitting he stabbed his wife to death in a shocking murder he claims was triggered by an online sextortion scheme.
77-year-old James Hill, a retired Ohio State music professor, confessed to killing his wife, attempting to stab his dog, and then plunging a knife into his own chest after a woman he met online allegedly threatened to release his nude photos unless he paid her $15,000 in Apple gift cards.
According to court documents, Hill told investigators he believed the only way out of the situation was to kill his entire family.
Terrance Banks -- the man accused of killing 15 dogs in Florida -- seemed ready to go to jail when cops arrived the day he was arrested ... spinning around and putting his hands behind his back with no direction from officers.
Body cam footage from the tragic day shows officers walking up to Banks ... asking him for help identifying and corralling several dogs who are loose in the neighborhood -- telling him he's the only one who can help them do so.
Terrance, however, seems distraught ... repeating several times that it's simply over ... and moving to put his hands behind his back.
The company Disney star Erik von Detten worked for when he allegedly played an "instrumental" role in finding customers to buy gold says it owes over $60 million to creditors ... TMZ learned.
According to court docs obtained by TMZ, Rosland Capital, where Erik worked for years, revealed the massive figure as part of its ongoing bankruptcy.
Rosland Capital listed debts of $63,695,061. The company's business involved selling precious metals to retail customers.
Brad Pitt has officially been dropped from another one of his kids' names ... his 18-year-old daughter Vivienne has legally ditched her famous father's surname ... TMZ has confirmed.
A Los Angeles judge approved Vivienne's petition Monday, changing her legal name from Vivienne Marcheline Jolie-Pitt to Vivienne Marcheline Jolie.
The judge signed off on the request after no objections were filed.
