WASHINGTON – Back in November, seven-year-old Viviene Kaplan of Annapolis, Maryland learned she was a finalist in a national singing contest. But the young star received sad news this week that her father had been killed in a highway accident.
Maryland State Police say Jeff Kaplan,43, was killed along Route 50 early Wednesday morning.
WTOP spoke with Kaplan just a few weeks ago after his daughter Viviene became a finalist in Disney’s “Sing Your Heart Out” contest.
“Jeff was a very very supportive father to Viviene,” says her mother Melanie Loughry.
Loughry put Viviene on the phone during the interview volunteering the little girl who wanted to share some memories of her dad.
“He took me to California and it was a lot of fun … He took me to a couple of Orioles ball games. Like probably about three ball games,” she recalls.
Kaplan learned a lot from her father who worked in the entertainment business with both national and local bands.
“He’s a sound engineer and he’s really good at being one, I think,” she says.
Kaplan’s friends have started an online fundraiser for Vivien in her father’s memory.
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