Felix Baumgartner, the legendary Austrian skydiver and extreme sports icon, has died in a tragic paragliding accident in Italy. The 56-year-old athlete, best known for his record-breaking jump from the stratosphere in 2012, passed away near the Adriatic coast, leaving behind a legacy etched into the skies.
The accident occurred in Porto Sant’Elpidio, where Baumgartner was piloting a motorized paraglider. According to local reports, he suddenly lost consciousness mid-flight and lost control of the glider. He crashed into the pool of a nearby hotel, injuring a young female staff member. Fortunately, her injuries were only minor.
Heartbreakingly, just hours before the fatal flight, Baumgartner had shared a photo on Instagram with the caption: “The wind is too strong.”
Red Bull, Baumgartner’s longtime sponsor, confirmed the devastating news to Austrian public broadcaster ORF. The Austrian Foreign Ministry also relayed confirmation through the German news agency dpa.
Born in Salzburg, Baumgartner first rose to prominence in the early 2000s with daring jumps from some of the world’s most iconic landmarks, including the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur and the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro.
But it was in October 2012 that he cemented his place in history. Ascending to the edge of space in a helium balloon, he leapt from a height of 38,969 meters—nearly 39 kilometers above Earth. During his descent, he reached a speed of 1,342.8 km/h, becoming the first human to break the sound barrier in free fall.
Baumgartner embodied the spirit of adventure. One of his most well-known tattoos on his right arm read: “born to fly.” Through social media, he often shared breathtaking footage of his paragliding flights, describing his passion in one heartfelt phrase: “I belong to the sky, I was born for these feelings.”
In his later years, Baumgartner’s outspoken views also drew public attention. He criticized migration policies in Germany and Austria, once stating that “instead of democracy, a moderate dictatorship in which nothing can be changed would be preferable.”
In 2016, he famously nominated Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for the Nobel Peace Prize and supported a far-right candidate in Austria’s presidential race.