Steve Barnes, attorney known for catchy TV jingle, dies in small plane crash in New York state
Steve Barnes, a personal injury attorney known for the catchy TV jingle advertising for the law firm Cellino & Barnes, died in a small plane crash shortly before noon Friday in western New York.
Barnes, a registered pilot, died along with his niece, Elizabeth Barnes, his longtime law partner told The Associated Press.
"His passing is a significant loss for the legal community," Barnes' law partner Ross Cellino said. "He was always a fearless advocate for his clients."
Cellino and Barnes appeared together in TV advertisements featuring an old-time jingle which put the firm's phone number to a tune. It was so catchy that it became a viral challenge and was featured on Saturday Night Live.
The firm started in Buffalo, New York but has became well known beyond the New York region for its advertising. Recently the two lawyers had a falling out, including court battles amid the split of the firm.
Stephen Edward Barnes has been registered as a private pilot with the FAA since June 2010, according to the agency's Airmen Certification database.
According to Genesee County Sheriff William Sheron, a witness called 911 shortly before noon Friday to report seeing a plane disappear from the sky over a wooded area. The witness subsequently heard a crash and then a fire boom.
The Buffalo-based plane left Manchester, New Hampshire, about 10:18 a.m. Contact with the plane was lost at 11:18 a.m.
The plane is scattered over a large, heavily wooded area, Sheron said. The Federal Aviation Administration is on the scene and the National Transportation Safety Board is expected to arrive Saturday.
Contributing: The Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: Steve Barnes, attorney in Cellino & Barnes jingle, dies in plane crash
