'Captain Marvel' Star Brie Larson Pens Tribute to Late Air Force Pilot

Captain Marvel star Brie Larson paid tribute to the fallen Air Force pilot who also served as a consultant on the Marvel Studios movie.

She penned a touching statement honoring the late Maj. Stephen Del Bagno. The statement was posted to her Instagram page, alongside a photo of the two on an Air Force base. You can read it below:

Cajun, I didn’t know it was possible to feel my heart continue to break deeper and deeper as the reality sets in. You were a brilliant pilot and an even better person. Thank you for inspiring me to work harder and live fuller. When you talked about the Air Force; the adventure, the rituals, the community - I felt your passion and purpose. Your humble attitude and ideals have stayed with me and inspired a stronger approach to my work. There is no Carol without you. You helped create her and I am forever grateful. I hold the call sign you gave me with your fellow pilots and Thunderbird brothers with pride. Its going to take awhile to get over this, but I understand that this is life. I am thinking about your family and the broken hearts at Nellis. Thank you for impacting my life. Rest easy brother. Sparrow, forever 💔

A post shared by Brie (@brielarson) on Apr 6, 2018 at 4:26pm PDT

Maj. Del Bagno tragically passed away at Nellis Air Force Base after suffering an accident while performing a series of training maneuvers. The pilot had recently joined the Thunderbirds, a popular high performance division in the Air Force that performs aerial tricks during air shows.

The cause of the crash is currently being investigated by the Accident Investigation Board of the Air Force.

Marvel Studios also issued a statement in the wake of Maj. Del Bagno's passing:

We lost a friend yesterday. Marvel Studios is saddened to hear of the loss of Air Force Maj. Stephen Del Bagno, who we were lucky to get to know during his time as a consultant on Captain Marvel. We will miss him greatly; he'll always be part of the team.

Maj. Del Bagno was a skilled veteran pilot who graduated from Utah State University in 2005 with a degree in aviation science. He served as an F-35A evaluator in the Air Force before joining the Thunderbirds.

Brig. Gen. Jeannie Leavitt, 57th Wing commander, also issued a statement on behalf of the Air Force.

"We are mourning the loss of Maj. Del Bagno," Brig. Gen. Leavitt said. "He was an integral part of our team, and our hearts are heavy with his loss."

Captain Marvel is being directed by Ann Bolen and Ryan Fleck from a script by Nicole Perlman & Megan LeFauve. Set the '90s, the film is inspired by the classic Avengers story "The Kree-Skrull War" and will introduce the shape-shifting alien Skrull race to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Captain Marvel opens in theaters on March 8, 2019.