Felix Baumgartner death details: What to know about paragliding accident that killed daredevil who 'jumped from space'

Yahoo

18-07-2025

Famous skydiver and daredevil Felix Baumgartner died suddenly on Thursday in an accident while on vacation in Italy.
The 56-year-old became famous over a decade ago when he broke world records as he jumped from space down to earth. He became one of the most famous skydivers in the world as a result and broke over a dozen world records over the course of his life and career.
Here's more on Baumgartner's death and his famous skydiving stunt.
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How did Felix Baumgartner die?
On Thursday, Baungertner died in a paragliding accident on the eastern coast of Italy, officials confirmed. He was 56 years old.
Felix Baumgartner paragliding accident details
According to officials, Baungartner was paragliding in Porto Sant'Elpidio when he lost control of his motorized paraglider and crashed into the side of a hotel swimming pool. According to The Washington Post, the mayor's office believes that Baumgartner suffered a "medical issue" during the accident.
Who was Felix Baumgartner?
Felix Baumgartner was an Austrian skydiver and daredevil who famously broke the sound barrier with his body in 2012. Nicknamed "Fearless Felix," Baumgartner was sponsored by Red Bull and performed many stunts over the course of his life.
Baumgartner became a skydiver at 16 years old, but he joined the Austrian military as a parachutist before performing stunts in the late 90s. Overall, Baumgartner broke 14 records in his life and won several awards for his feats.
"Felix has made 14 world records with his BASE jumps all over the planet, being a pioneer who has opened the path for all the skydivers around the world, for whom he is a great inspiration," the bio on Baumgartner's website read.
Felix Baumgartner family
Baumgartner was born in Salzburg, Austria to Eva and Felix Baumgartner. He had just one sibling, a brother named Gerard, who went on to become a chef. While Baumgartner never married, he had been with Romanian TV host Mihaela Radulescu for a long time.
Felix Baumgartner jump from space
In 2012, Baumgartner broke a world record when he successfully skydived from 24 miles above the ground. Baumgartner wore a pressurized suit and jumped from a capsule above Earth that was being held in space by a giant helium balloon.
Baumgartner reached 843.6 mph, or 1.25 times the speed of sound, as he descended to earth for a nine-minute stretch before landing in New Mexico. He became the first person to break the sound barrier using just his body, while breaking several skydiving records in the process.
"When I was standing there on top of the world, you become so humble, you do not think about of breaking records anymore, you do not think of about gaining scientific data. The only thing you want is to come back alive," Baumgartner said after landing.
Baumgartner's record was broken two years later, when Alan Eustace free-fell from the stratosphere.
Felix Baumgartner video
Baumgartner's record-breaking jump was live-streamed throughout, as viewers were able to watch the daredevil execute the attempt.