A Canadian rapper has died while filming a music video in which he attempted to rap while walking along the wing of a small plane mid-flight.

Key points: Jon James walked too far along the wing of a Cessna plane mid-flight, causing it to spiral

Jon James walked too far along the wing of a Cessna plane mid-flight, causing it to spiral The rapper held on to wing, then let go but did not have enough time to deploy his parachute

The rapper held on to wing, then let go but did not have enough time to deploy his parachute He had reputation for mixing stunt work into his music clips

Jon James McMurray, who goes by the name Jon James, had been filming in British Columbia on the weekend when he walked too far along the wing of the Cessna, causing the aircraft to go into a downward spiral.

"Jon held onto the wing until it was too late, and by the time he let go, he didn't have time to pull his chute," the musician's management team said in a statement shared with Canadian media.

"He impacted and died instantly."

The pilot landed safely and no-one else was injured. Canadian authorities are reportedly investigating the accident.

The 34-year-old rapper, a former professional skier, had a reputation for mixing stunt work into his music, posting a video on his social media accounts three weeks before his death showing two light aircraft he was set to use for filming, and including footage of him skydiving out of one plane.

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"His passion for making music videos and performing stunts were combined, and Jon pushed music in a new direction that was unchartered (sic) territory," his management said.

The musician had been working on the project for months and had "trained intensely" for it, the statement said.

Friend Rory Bushfield said the rapper was "living his ultimate dream, free and full".

"You [were] such a good man, brought up everyone around you and I promise to try my best to live as free as you did," he wrote on Instagram.