Felix Baumgartner, the Austrian daredevil known for his 2012 space jump, has died in a paragliding accident in Italy at 56 years old.
The incident occurred near Porto Sant’Elpidio on Italy’s Adriatic coast on July 17. According to reports, Baumgartner was flying a motorized paraglider when he lost control of the machine and crashed into the pool area of a hotel resort.
Local authorities confirmed that Baumgartner died on impact. A hotel worker was also injured in the crash but is expected to recover.
Baumgartner is remembered for his record-breaking space jump
Baumgartner gained global fame in 2012 after jumping from the edge of space as part of the Red Bull Stratos project. He ascended 128,100 feet in a helium balloon before jumping back to Earth, reaching speeds of over 800 miles per hour.
In addition to the Stratos jump, Baumgartner was a seasoned BASE jumper and skydiver, known for stunts from landmarks like the Petronas Towers and the Christ the Redeemer statue.
The man was also a veteran paraglider and often shared his flights in videos posted to Instagram.
Back in October 2022, Red Bull released Space Jump, a documentary featuring Baumgartner about his iconic jump from a helium balloon in space.
An investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing. Authorities have not yet confirmed the exact medical issue that led to the loss of control.
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