Felix Baumgartner, Skydiving World Record Holder, Dies Paragliding
The daredevil community is mourning a star.
Felix Baumgartner, who became the first person to break the sound barrier with only his body, died in Italy after his paraglider crashed in the coastal Italian city of Porto Sant'Elpidio on July 17, Mayor Massimiliano Ciarpella confirmed. He was 56.
'Our community is deeply affected by the tragic passing of Felix Baumgartner, a world-renowned figure, a symbol of courage and passion for extreme flight,' the official wrote in Italian on Facebook. 'Porto Sant'Elpidio stands with his family and loved ones in this moment of grief.'
Baumgartner, who held multiple world records for his daring stunts, had crashed into the side of a swimming pool in the central Italian city, according to first responders at the scene, per NBC News.
The Australian skydiver, nicknamed 'Fearless Felix,' made history in 2012 when he became the first person to break the sound barrier in free fall without a vehicle. He wore a pressurized suit and jumped from a capsule in space more than 24 miles above Earth.
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His fastest speed was over 843 mph, which is 1.25 times the speed of sound, as he came down. The historic stunt also earned him records for the highest jump altitude and the highest free-fall speed without a parachute.
For Baumgartner, who was part of Red Bull's Stratos project, skydiving was a calling.
'I was always fascinated with skydiving since I was a little kid,' he told Euronews in 2022. 'I always spent time on top of trees to see the world from above. I went to the local skydiving club, they taught me how to skydive and this is where everything started. This is where my journey started without knowing where it was going to take me.'
The daredevil—who also previously broke records in BASE jumping, including the lowest BASE jump from the Christ the Redeemer in Brazil and the highest from the 88th floor of the Petronas Twin Towers in Malaysia—gained a newfound perspective on life through his stunts.
"I know the whole world is watching now,' he said to Red Bull in 2012. 'I wish the world could see what I can see: sometimes you have to go up really high to understand how small you are."
(E! News and NBC News are part of the NBCUniversal family.)
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