Felix Baumgartner, daredevil who jumped from the stratosphere, dies in paragliding accident at age 56

Felix Baumgartner, the daredevil who made a record-breaking parachute jump from the stratosphere in 2012, died Thursday in a paragliding accident in Italy, a local mayor confirmed. Firefighters who responded to the scene said they found a paraglider that had crashed into the side of a swimming pool in the city of Porto Sant Elpidio, on central Italy's eastern coast.

"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," the town's Mayor, Massimiliano Ciarpella, said on Facebook. 

Baumgartner, 56, made global headlines in 2012 when he was lifted into the stratosphere, about 24 miles up, in a capsule carried by a helium balloon, and then parachuted down to a landing in New Mexico. During the jump, he broke the record for fastest free fall, descending at about 843.6 mph and becoming the first human to break the sound barrier without the assistance of a vehicle.