Felix Baumgartner, the legendary Austrian daredevil who once plunged from the stratosphere and shattered the sound barrier with his body, died at 56 in a tragic paragliding accident in Porto Sant’Elpidio, Italy. On July 16, 2025, while vacationing along the Adriatic coast, Baumgartner lost control of his motorized paraglider and crashed near a hotel swimming pool. Witnesses described the aircraft spinning violently before impact, and local officials confirmed the fatal crash. An autopsy is pending, with speculation of a possible medical episode mid-flight.
Baumgartner rose to global fame on October 14, 2012, when he ascended 24 miles above Earth in a capsule lifted by a helium balloon and leapt into history. His Red Bull Stratos jump broke multiple records, including highest freefall and fastest descent at 843.6 mph—making him the first human to break the sound barrier unaided by a vehicle. Millions watched live as he tumbled through near-space before deploying his parachute and landing safely in New Mexico. “Sometimes you have to go up really high to see how small you really are,” he said before the jump.
Born in Salzburg, Austria, Baumgartner began skydiving at 16 and honed his skills as a paratrooper in the Austrian military. He later became a pioneer in BASE jumping, famously leaping from the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio and the Empire State Building. His partnership with Red Bull began in 1988 and fueled a career of breathtaking stunts. Baumgartner’s charisma and fearlessness made him a fixture on global talk shows and a symbol of human daring.
Red Bull paid tribute with a heartfelt message: “Felix was born to fly… smart, professional, thorough and meticulous.” The mayor of Porto Sant’Elpidio called him “a symbol of courage and passion for extreme flight.” Baumgartner’s death leaves a void in the world of adventure sports, but his legacy—etched in the sky—will endure. He didn’t just defy gravity; he redefined it.
