Daredevil Legend Felix Baumgartner dies in tragic paragliding accident at 56

Felix Baumgartner, a famed daredevil popular for his stunts, has died. He was 56.

The Austrian extreme sports aficionado was most known for skydiving from 24 miles high, at the edge of space, in a helium balloon back in 2012. Per the New York Post, he lost his life in a tragic paragliding accident while in Porto Sant’Elpidio, Italy. At the time, he fell sick while operating a motorized paraglider, causing him to crash into a Le Mimose hotel swimming pool.

The incident took place at 4 pm, the Daily Mail has reported, and he died on the spot. A female hotel employee who was struck down by the stuntman has been left injured. She was rushed to Murri Hospital, where she is being treated for non-serious neck injuries.

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Felix Baumgartner's life and legacy explored as a record-breaking stuntman:

According to The Daily Mail, Felix Baumgartner had set off on his journey from Fermo as he flew over the coast, though at one point, he reportedly lost control of the powered hang glider. An investigation into the reasons is currently ongoing. He then lost consciousness before going into cardiac arrest.

Shortly before his demise, he shared a video of himself paragliding in circles over a massive piece of land online with the following caption:

"Too much wind."

Felix Baumgartner had set the world record for skydiving at about 24 miles and reaching a speed of Mach 1.25 (843.6mph). He was the first person to ever achieve this feat without the use of a vehicle.

At the time, he used a helium balloon to soar high up, with millions tuning in to witness the spectacle live on a broadcast. According to The Sun, the stunt was being promoted by Red Bull, the energy drink heavyweight. Moments before he jumped, Felix Baumgartner said:

"I wish you could see what I can see."

Following his jump, Felix Baumgartner said:

"When you're standing on top of the world, you don’t think of records any more, all you think is that you want to come back alive."

As reported by The Sun, he recalled his feat several years later, noting,

“I wanted to be the first human outside of an aircraft breaking the sound barrier. It’s very difficult to a perfect exit, do not over-rotate, there’s no air to use to slow down. First 25 seconds it looked like everything’s under control. Then after 34 seconds I hit Mach 1 and broke the speed of sound. That was our goal. I was mentally prepared to spin. I started, it got faster. There was no protocol. Then it really ramped up. It wasn’t about breaking records any more, it was about survival. (In the end) I was happy. Even the landing was perfect.”

In 2022, Felix Baumgartner spoke with MailOnline, where he said of his impressive record:

"As a skydiver, you always want to push the envelope. What Joe accomplished in the 1960s after only 33 skydives – this is what I call a true pioneer. And I had a couple thousand skydives under my belt. You're always thinking, what more can I do? Go faster? Go higher? It's always floating out there."

Per the Daily Mail, Felix Baumgartner had worked with Red Bull in the past, and he approached them with his idea of jumping from space out of a place of trust:

"Because of all the trust I'd built with Red Bull with base jumps, we took on that challenge trying to find the right people." He also named Joe Kittinger as his inspiration: "Joe made it very clear the first time I met him – I'm interested but I'm only going to support you if you take it seriously. You can't go from zero to hero. We have to do it the right way."

He also told the outlet of the moment he launched himself into a freefall from space:

'I looked up and the sky was black,' he said. 'It was completely silent. All you can hear is yourself breathing. It was very peaceful.'

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