Daredevil skydiver Felix Baumgartner dies while paragliding in Italy

Baumgartner was best known for his record-setting jump from the edge of space down to Earth in 2012.

Extreme sportsman and adrenaline junkie Felix Baumgartner died on Thursday while paragliding in Italy, local police have confirmed. He was 56.

Baumgartner, a famed BASE jumper and skydiver who was best known for his record-setting jump from the stratosphere down to Earth in 2012, was using his motorized paraglider in Porto Sant’Elpidio when he reportedly became ill and lost control of the craft.

According to TMZ, citing local news outlets, he crashed into a hotel swimming pool and reportedly lost consciousness before going into cardiac arrest. He was declared dead at the scene.

Reports say a woman was struck during the impact. According to local media reports, she is in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries.

Five days ago, Baumgartner shared on social media that he was in Italy on holiday. On Wednesday, he posted a video of working on his paraglider.

His final Instagram story, uploaded earlier on Thursday, showed a windsock with an overlay of the words, “Too much wind.”

Baumgartner’s famed hair-raising 2012 jump from the edge of space not only shattered multiple world records, but he also broke the sound barrier, reaching speeds of more than 1,300 km/h.