Felix Baumgartner's heartbroken widow shares footage of him taking off on doomed paraglider flight - as she reveals how she held daredevil's hand as he lost battle for life

Daily Mail​

4 days ago

The heartbroken partner of daredevil Felix Baumgartner has shared footage of him taking off on the doomed paraglider flight, revealing how she held his hand as he battled for his life.
Baumgartner, 56, tragically died at around 4pm local time on Thursday in Italy 's Porto Sant'Elpidio in the province of Fermo when a flight in a motorised paraglider took a fatal turn.
The Red Bull-sponsored athlete, who was holidaying in Fermo with partner Michela Radulescu, is thought to have suffered a medical crisis in mid air as he flew over Porto Sant'Elpidio on Italy's Adriatic coast and crashed into a swimming pool at the Le Mimose holiday camp.
Now, Ms Radulescu, a Romanian TV presenter, has shared chilling footage of her long-term partner just minutes before the tragic death, tragically adding that she filmed the video 'not knowing that this would be his last flight of his extraordinary life'.
Taking to X to post the somber video, Ms Radulescu said: '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.'
Describing her partner as 'truly special', she added that he was 'going home now, up there, where he was the happiest ever'.
The 55-year-old also thanked the public for both their support and also for helping to 'keep his unique legacy high up'.
The Red Bull-sponsored athlete, who was holidaying in Fermo with partner Michela Radulescu, is thought to have suffered a medical crisis in mid air as he flew over Porto Sant'Elpidio on Italy's Adriatic coast and crashed into a swimming pool at the Le Mimose holiday camp
Baumgartner, who gained international recognition in 2012 after he leapt from the edge of space in the world's most extreme skydive, is understood to have lost control of the powered hang glider as he soared over the coast.
While emergency responders quickly descended on Le Mimose and attempted to resuscitate Baumgartner, he was pronounced dead before the arrival of an air ambulance.
The circumstances and cause of his death are still being investigated, with a post-mortem examination currently underway.
Following the fatal crash, horrified tourists and staff at Le Mimose del Club del Sole holiday village were seen crowding Baumgartner as he lay poolside in images courtesy of Corriere Adriatico, the daily newspaper of the Marche region.
Some appeared to be on their knees administering first aid as staff members hurried a spinal board to the scene, fearing the skydiver may have suffered severe injuries.
A bystander who saw Baumgartner approaching the deck told Correiere della Sera: I was here on the beach, I turned towards Le Mimose and I saw this paraglider fall suddenly. I thought he was going to land, but instead he fell really quickly.'
An employee at Le Mimose was also injured, reportedly by a piece of debris that struck her when Baumgartner crashed into the wooden hut by the pool. She was taken to hospital for treatment but Le Mimose later told MailOnline she was in good health.
In a touching tribute to her beloved partner, Ms Radulescu, who had been with Baumgartner since 2014, said that he had 'died doing what he loved the most – flying'.
She also thanked emergency services for doing their best to save him following the tragic incident, alongside members of the public who did 'EVERYTHING for him and for me here, in Italy'.
Ms Radulescu wrote:' For the World, a Legend who inspired so many and achieved so much…
'For his friends and family, the most loved and admired, the most positive, respectful, full of life and joy kid, and the most focused and organized adult when working on anything.
'For his fans, the Hero always smiling back to them, always having time for them, always happy to feel their love.
'For me… the man who loved me like crazy for 13 years, the extraordinary man I loved beyond words, the REAL MAN I respected and had the best time of my life with. And this is an understatement.
Ms Radulescu added that she, alongside everyone 'blessed to have him in our lives', had been left feeling 'lost' without Baumgartner.
She continued: '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…'
'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.
'Thank you to everyone who payed (sic) respect and showed support for me and his Mom and Dad, for his family and our real good friends.
'I wrote this for him. Pay your respect for FELIX. This unique man deserves the best of all our hearts, thoughts and prayers….'
Ms Radulescu, who was away on holiday with Baumgartner at the time of the incident, was immediately informed of his death and rushed to the scene.
Shortly before his sudden passing, the sports star posted a video on his social media alongside the caption: 'Too much wind.'
It showed him paragliding in circles over a field, completely unaware of the tragedy that was about to strike.
Baumgartner is also said to have complained that he was feeling ill prior to take-off over Fermo, in Italy's Marche region.
Confirming his death, local mayor, Massimiliano Ciarpella said: 'Our community is deeply affected by the tragic disappearance of Felix Baumgartner, a figure of global prominence, a symbol of courage and passion for extreme flight.'
Just days prior to his accident, the Austrian daredevil had posted a selfie almost directly above where he died.
An employee at Le Mimose was also injured, reportedly by a piece of debris that struck her when Baumgartner crashed into the wooden hut by the pool. She was taken to hospital for treatment but Le Mimose later told MailOnline she was in good health
He posed in his motorised paraglider, with the coastline below. Chillingly, the properties in the photo are less than two miles from where Baumgarnter plummeted to the ground.
An accomplished skydiver and sports sensation, Baumgarnter was internationally known for his spectacular jumps. He became particularly famous in 2012 with a jump from the stratosphere in which he set three world records.
On October 14 2012, millions of people globally tuned in to watch Baumgartner jump from the edge of space, armed only with a pressure suit, a parachute, and nerves of steel.
He fell to Earth for more than four minutes, during which time he reached dizzying speeds of 843.6mph and broke the sound barrier, before opening his parachute and safely gliding down to land in New Mexico.
Speaking to MailOnline in 2022, he said: 'As a skydiver, you always want to push the envelope.
Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner is seen after jumping from a transport plane above Dover at the start of his freefall across the English Channel between Dover and Calais, July 31, 2003
'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.'
In 1988, Baumgarnter began collaborating with the Red Bull brand, and from the 1990s onwards, he also tried his hand at base jumping, leaping from skyscrapers, natural features, and bridges.
He set several records and 14 world records: In 1999, the Austrian was the first to jump from the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and from the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.