Death of Felix Baumgartner
The Austrian extreme athlete Felix Baumgartner, who jumped from the stratosphere to earth in a stunt in 2012, died on Thursday in a paragliding accident in the eastern Italian city of Porto Sant’elpidio. According to the local media, the 56-year-old lost consciousness in flight and then lost control of his paraglider, fell into a hotel pool and easily injured a young female employee.
Last Moments
Just a few hours earlier, he had posted a picture in his Instagram story: "Too much wind". The community is deeply influenced by the tragic disappearance of Felix Baumgartner, a figure of global meaning, a symbol of courage and passion for extreme flight. The Energy Drink Company Red Bull, who sponsored many exploits from Baumgartner, confirmed his death, while the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also confirmed the reports.
Felix Baumgartner’s Jump from the Stratosphere
Baumgartner was born in Salzburg and made headlines as a spectacular base jumper for many years and jumped from iconic structures such as the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur and the Statue of Christ, the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro. Baumgartner shot global fame in October 2012 when he jumped almost 39 kilometers above the earth from a helium balloon – The highest manned balloon flight and the highest free case at this time. He reached a maximum speed of 1,342.8 km/h and broke the sound barrier.
Passion for Adventure
Baumgartner, who had a tattoo on his right arm reading "Born to Fly", regularly published videos of his paragliding flights on social media. He once described his passion for adventure with the words: "I belong to the air, I was born for these feelings."
Controversial Political Views
In recent years, he has made headlines of a different kind with controversial political statements, criticizing German and Austrian migration policy and serving that a "moderate dictatorship" would be preferable to a democracy in which "nothing can be moved". In 2016 he recommended Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for the Nobel Peace Prize and approved a right-wing populist candidate for the Austrian Presidency.
