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Felix Baumgartner, the Austrian Skydiver, best known for his record dive from space, died in a paraglide accident in Italy on Thursday, according to Italian officials. He was 56.
Baumgartner allegedly flew a motorized paraglider in the coastal town of Porto Sant’elpidio in the Marche region of Italy, where he is said to have crashed into a hotel pool.
Felix Baumgartner from Austria is preparing to leave the capsule before his leap at the first manned test flight for Red Bull Stratos in Roswell, NM, March 15, 2012. (Balazsgardi.com/red Bull Content Pool)
According to Sky Austria, he suddenly became ill before crashing. A hotel employee was also taken to a hospital after maintaining damage to the accident, the report said.
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Pakinomist Digital has reached Baumgartners Reps.
In a statement to Pakinomist Digital, a representative of Redbull said: “We are shocked and overwhelmed by sadness to hear the devastating news about our long -time friend Felix Baumgartner.
“Felix was ‘born to fly’ and was determined to push the boundaries. He was also smart, professional, thorough and careful and never left anything to chance. He was generous and gave much of his time to help and inspire so many people.
“We remember Felix as a lovely person, devoted to his family and friends as we send our heartfelt sympathy. Felix, you will be deeply missed.”
Skydiver Felix Baumgartner speaks during a news conference at Windsor Atlantic Hotel during 2013 Laureus World Sports Awards March 9, 2013 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Buda Mendes/Getty Images to Laureus)
The mayor of the city, Massimiliano Ciarpella, confirmed the local reports in a post on Facebook.
“Our society is deeply influenced by the tragic departure of Felix Baumgartner, a figure of global importance, a symbol of courage and passion for extreme flight. He flyed just above our city when a sudden illness today took him from us,” Ciarpella’s speech said according to a translation.
“Porto Sant’elpidio is in solidarity with his family and loved ones in this time of grief. On behalf of the municipal administration and all citizens, I express our most inner compassion for this immense loss.”
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Baumgartner had sent several videos to Instagram stories about himself paragliding in Italy during the week until his death. In a creepy last post that was shared on Thursday, he cracked a photo of a windsock entitled “Too much wind.”
Austrian Daredevil Felix Baumgartner is ready to jump from his capsule at an altitude of approx. 71,500 feet 15 March 2012. (Jay Nemeth/Red Bull Content Pool)
Baumgartner was born April 20, 1969 in Salzburg, Austria, and established himself as a skilled and fearless skydiver, base jumper, daredevil and much more. On October 14, 2012, he did what no one else had ever tried.
He fell from the room.
Baumgartner set three world records, including the highest free fall and highest crew balloon flight. And he became the first person to travel faster than the sound speed during a free fall as he took a huge helium balloon over New Mexico and jumped from a height of 127,852 feet.
He reached speeds of 843.6 km / h, or corresponding to Mach 1.25, 1.25 times the sound speed, the Associated Press reported at that time. He was literally supersonic.
A file photograph taken during a practice flight 30 July 2003 shows the Austrian Skydiver Felix Baumgartner under free fall over the English channel between Dover and Calais. (Reuters/Ulrich Grillasa/WS/File Photo)
According to Baumgartners Bio on Redbull’s web site, he broke 14 world records, including the lowest basic cup he achieved in 2011 when he jumped from the Christi statue in Brazil.
