During her dark period in 2007, famous pop star and songwriter Britney Spears entered rehab and began attending Alcoholics Anonymous. It was there that she met John Sundahl. The two quickly became friends, which turned into a somewhat serious but relatively short-lived romance.

John said in an interview during Britney’s troubled years that if she did not stop drinking she would die. He also told reporters that he told that star if she was not interested in getting sober for her then she needed to for her boys. Following John’s advice, she quit and amazingly turned her life completely around.

Britney now 33 years old, gave credit to 44-year-old John for being instrumental in helping her stop drinking. At this time, no public comment has been made by Britney or anyone in her camp but considering that it was at one time rumored that she and John were engaged, there is no question she is devastated.

Even after breaking off the relationship, the two remained close friends. In fact, some insiders claimed that last summer, the two had reignited their relationship but that has not been confirmed. One close friend of Britney’s did say that she thought of him as being a lovely man and the news has broken her heart.

While John got his life cleaned up and became a helicopter pilot, working as a private contractor assigned to a war-torn country. Sadly he was shot down in Afghanistan last week by the Taliban while flying near Kabul. Reportedly, a missile struck the helicopter, killing him and others onboard.

In a statement from his brother, Karl, the killing is heartbreaking since John had gone there to help repair the country. John apparently had the responsibility of flying dignitaries in and out of Afghanistan and was a well-respected pilot. While this was one of his missions, his other was to help people after recognizing the chaotic state of the country.

Karl spoke out after John was killed to say that the State confirmed it was the Taliban that shot his helicopter down. Everyone in the family is devastated. John’s body was returned to United States soil, followed by a small intimate funeral with family members only because that was what John would have wanted.