Latest news with #daredevil
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Watch: Last video of Felix Baumgartner as he sets off on fatal paraglider flight
Felix Baumgartner's partner shared video of the extreme athlete setting off on his fatal paragliding flight. The 56-year-old Australian daredevil was flying over Porto Saint'Elpido in Italy on Thursday (17 July) when he lost control of his motorized paraglider. Witnesses said they heard a loud boom as the paraglider spun out of control and crashed next to a swimming pool. On Saturday, Miha Schwartzenberg posted a video to X of Baumgartner's taking off on his fatal journey. 'I was filming him taking off not knowing that this will be his last flight of his extraordinary life,' Schwartzenberg said in the caption. 'Felix Baumgartner is going home now, up there, where he was the happiest ever.' Baumgartner was best known for his record-breaking skydive from the edge of space in 2012.
The Sun
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Felix Baumgartner's widow shares footage of fatal paraglider flight as she pays tribute to ‘truly special' partner
FELIX Baumgartner's grieving partner has shared footage of the daredevil's doomed final paragliding flight. The Austrian athlete, 56, most famous for jumping to Earth from the edge of space 2012, tragically lost his life in an accident while on holiday in Porto Sant'Elpidio, Italy, last week. 5 5 5 5 His partner, Michela Radulescu, revealed how she held his hand in his dying moments - after he suffered a suspected cardiac arrest midair and crashed into a hotel swimming pool. A clip shared by his grieving wife shows the moment the adrenaline junkie took off from a field to begin the flight. Wearing shorts and a crash helmet, Felix fires up his propeller pack and runs across the grass - as he had done so many times. The sail fills with air and lifts him up from the ground. Felix soars high into the sky against a cloudless blue sky, getting smaller and smaller. Michela, 55, a Romanian TV presenter, said she watched him disappear, "not knowing that this would be his last flight of his extraordinary life". In a heartbreaking video posted to X, Michela says: "For over 12 years I was there for every take off and landing, from skydiving, paragliding, helicopter flights, paramotor to aerobatic shows. "And when I couldn't be there for some heli flights, we had the WLC code - 'the Wifey Landing Call'. Never missed one. Except …this one." She said that her "truly special" was "going home now, up there, where he was the happiest ever". Describing the moment she lost Felix, Michela said: "He died doing what he loved the most - flying - in a happy place we came for the third time, with me holding his hands and shouting at him to FIGHT. The first fight he lost… Skydiver famous for space jump dies in paragliding tragedy after crashing into pool "Keep telling his story, specially to your kids - in a world full of Dreamers, teach them about the Dreamer who made all his dreams come true, working damn hard for every single one of them." The Red Bull-sponsored athlete became a household name when he jumped to Earth from a space helium balloon in 2012. He set world records for skydiving an estimated 24 miles and reaching an estimated top speed of Mach 1.25 (843.6mph). The stunt also made him the first person ever to break the sound barrier without vehicular power. His own tragic final Instagram post also documented the preparation for the flight. Felix had been flying in a motored paraglider when he is believed to have suffered a "sudden onset of illness." This caused him to lose control, with Baumgartner's glider crashing to the ground and into a hotel swimming pool. He was reportedly killed instantly in the tragic accident. Meanwhile, a hotel employee was also injured during Baumgartner's fall. They were said to be struck by the paraglider as it hit the ground. 5
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Felix Baumgartner death details: What to know about paragliding accident that killed daredevil who 'jumped from space'
Famous skydiver and daredevil Felix Baumgartner died suddenly on Thursday in an accident while on vacation in Italy. The 56-year-old became famous over a decade ago when he broke world records as he jumped from space down to earth. He became one of the most famous skydivers in the world as a result and broke over a dozen world records over the course of his life and career. Here's more on Baumgartner's death and his famous skydiving stunt. 📲 Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp How did Felix Baumgartner die? On Thursday, Baungertner died in a paragliding accident on the eastern coast of Italy, officials confirmed. He was 56 years old. Felix Baumgartner paragliding accident details According to officials, Baungartner was paragliding in Porto Sant'Elpidio when he lost control of his motorized paraglider and crashed into the side of a hotel swimming pool. According to The Washington Post, the mayor's office believes that Baumgartner suffered a "medical issue" during the accident. Who was Felix Baumgartner? Felix Baumgartner was an Austrian skydiver and daredevil who famously broke the sound barrier with his body in 2012. Nicknamed "Fearless Felix," Baumgartner was sponsored by Red Bull and performed many stunts over the course of his life. Baumgartner became a skydiver at 16 years old, but he joined the Austrian military as a parachutist before performing stunts in the late 90s. Overall, Baumgartner broke 14 records in his life and won several awards for his feats. "Felix has made 14 world records with his BASE jumps all over the planet, being a pioneer who has opened the path for all the skydivers around the world, for whom he is a great inspiration," the bio on Baumgartner's website read. Felix Baumgartner family Baumgartner was born in Salzburg, Austria to Eva and Felix Baumgartner. He had just one sibling, a brother named Gerard, who went on to become a chef. While Baumgartner never married, he had been with Romanian TV host Mihaela Radulescu for a long time. Felix Baumgartner jump from space In 2012, Baumgartner broke a world record when he successfully skydived from 24 miles above the ground. Baumgartner wore a pressurized suit and jumped from a capsule above Earth that was being held in space by a giant helium balloon. Baumgartner reached 843.6 mph, or 1.25 times the speed of sound, as he descended to earth for a nine-minute stretch before landing in New Mexico. He became the first person to break the sound barrier using just his body, while breaking several skydiving records in the process. "When I was standing there on top of the world, you become so humble, you do not think about of breaking records anymore, you do not think of about gaining scientific data. The only thing you want is to come back alive," Baumgartner said after landing. Baumgartner's record was broken two years later, when Alan Eustace free-fell from the stratosphere. Felix Baumgartner video Baumgartner's record-breaking jump was live-streamed throughout, as viewers were able to watch the daredevil execute the attempt.
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Felix Baumgartner, famed for space jump, killed in paragliding crash
Felix Baumgartner, who skydived from space in 2012, has died in a paragliding crash in Italy at age 56.
Forbes
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Daredevil Felix Baumgartner Gone Way Too Early At 56
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 23: Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner meets with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the United Nations headquarters on October 23, 2012 in New York City. Baumgartner jumped out of a balloon from 128,000 feet above New Mexico, breaking the record for the highest ever freefall, and was the first skydiver to break the sound barrier. (Photo by) Getty Images It came as a shock yesterday when I heard that Felix Baumgartner had died in Italy in a paragliding accident at age 56. The daredevil had done many things riskier, of course, including a BASE jump off of the Christ The Redeemer Statue in Brazil. The riskiest stunt and probably best known, however, was his leap from over 128,000 feet from a helium balloon in 2012 to break the then-parachute record of 102,800 feet, set in 1960 by the late great USAF Col. Joe Kittinger. In fact, it was Kittinger who served as CAPCOM for Baumgartner's Red Bull Stratos jump, and Kittenger who ultimately introduced me to Baumgartner. At the time, the Austrian was shunning press interviews, but Kittinger talked him into one with me. I got to know Baumgartner after that. In some respects he was a daredevil, in others he was risk-averse. On the tenth anniversary of his big jump, I asked Baumgartner if he would take a comp'd flight all the way to suborbital space, 50 miles up, with Blue Origin or Virgin Galactic if it were comp'd. His surprising response? "Hell no, they'd have to pay me." "Why," I asked. "Because they don't wear space suits. If there were a sudden cabin depressurization on a flight, the passengers would be dead in a few seconds." He's correct. What many people don't know, other than insiders on the Stratos project, is that the highly-publicized jump was delayed not because of balloon or capsule logistics, but because Baumgartner couldn't stand to be in the space suit he was required to wear for the duration of the jump. Simple claustrophobia is what got him. It took more than a year with the help of sports psychologists and other mind doctors to convince Baumgartner that he could, indeed, wear the suit for the several hours required. RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - MARCH 11: Skydiver Felix Baumgartner receives his trophy for Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year from Laureus Academy Member Tony Hawk on stage during the awards show for the 2013 Laureus World Sports Awards at the Theatro Municipal Do Rio de Janeiro on March 11, 2013 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo byFor Laureus) getty That is nothing to be ashamed of, by the way. When I took my U-2 edge-of-space flight above 70,000 feet last summer, I was required to wear a space suit in the event my cabin depressurized. The clunky suit was uncomfortable and yes, claustrophobic. After five hours, I couldn't wait to get out of it. In fact, the folks at Beale AFB, where they train U-2 pilots, told me that some prospective pilots wash out because they can't handle suit claustrophobia. It happens more often than one might think, they said. Many people are weighing in that Baumgartner died doing what he loved. Maybe, but no one wants to die. The idea that he wouldn't take the free suborbital flight without wearing a suit is proof. Oh, and his claustrophobia thing shows that a daredevil is human, like the rest of us. Of the three parachutists who have jumped from above 100,000 feet, only one remains. Alan Eustace, a low-key former Google executive, leaped from above 135,000 feet in 2014, breaking Baumgartner's record, and is still with us. Let's keep it that way for awhile. R.I.P. Felix. Say hi to Joe now that you're up there with him.
