The Hawaiian official who verified the authenticity of President Obama's birth certificate in 2011 was the only fatality in a plane crash Wednesday.

"The Cessna Grand Caravan went down in the water yesterday off the island of Molokai. ... The director of Hawaii's health department, Loretta Fuddy, was killed. Eight other people were on board, including the pilot." (Via CBS)

"She did not just a great job in her job as director of health, but for her whole career. ... Our state was No. 1 for health, and she was our leader on that." (Via KITV)

Hawaiian officials say the plane crashed due to engine failure.

NBC reports, "Fuddy hit the headlines two years ago when she approved a waiver request allowing Obama to access certified copies of his birth certificate, signed by the delivery doctor, Obama's mother and the local registrar."

The release of that birth certificate, seen here, was the source of controversy by some who believed the president was not born in the United States and therefore was not eligible to be president.

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Obama released the long form of his birth certificate in April 2011.

OBAMA: "We do not have time for this kind of silliness. We've got better stuff to do." (Via ABC)

Fuddy also worked closely with officials on the Affordable Care Act and the Obamacare website. The oddity of her death sent some conspiracy theorists to wonder if this tragic accident was really an accident.

ObamaConspiracy.com posted responses from people who are skeptical of the death. However, as some point out, the skepticism wasn't too widespread.

An editor for Salon tweets, ​​"The conspiracy theory community seems strangely quiet over the death of Loretta Fuddy…" (Via Twitter / @eliasisquith)

Fuddy was 65 years old.

See more at: Newsy.com

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