Felix Baumgartner, the Austrian daredevil who captured the world’s attention with his record-smashing stunts, has died in a paragliding accident in Italy at the age of 56.
Baumgartner was known for his fearless attitude and incredible feats, including a 38km/h skydive from the edge of space in 2012.
A Tragic Accident in Italy
The extreme sports pioneer reportedly fell suddenly ill while flying a motorised paraglider in the Italian coastal town of Porto Sant’Elpidio, crashing the craft into a hotel swimming pool.
According to Sky Sport Austria, Baumgartner died instantly during the freak accident.
A hotel employee was also injured after being struck by the glider and taken to the hospital with neck injuries.
An Italian emergency services senior official confirmed to AFP that Baumgartner suffered a “malaise” before the tragic crash.
Local reports claim the Red Bull athlete immediately lost consciousness and went into cardiac arrest.
A Career of Death-Defying Stunts
Baumgartner’s attention-grabbing stunts included extreme parachuting, BASE jumping, and skydiving.
In 1999, he set the world record for the highest parachute jump from a building when he took a leap from the 1,483-foot Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
That same year, he set a record for the lowest BASE jump ever, hurtling himself from the 85-foot arm of the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro.
In 2003, Baumgartner became the first person to skydive across the English Channel with the help of a custom-designed carbon fibre wing, leaping from the craft at a height of more than six miles over Dover, England before landing safely in Cap Blanc-Nez in France.
His most famous jump was in 2012, when Baumgartner jumped 24 miles from a helium balloon, reaching a top speed of Mach 1.25 (1358km/h) and becoming the first person to ever break the sound barrier without a vehicle.
Tributes Pour in for the Late Daredevil
Following the shock news of his death, fans quickly paid tribute to Baumgartner on social media.
“RIP legend,” one fan wrote.
“Can’t believe, am so sorry for his friends and family,” another said.
“We will all miss you Felix,” wrote another fan.
“Shocked by the news, RIP,” another added.