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Skydiver and world report breaker Felix Baumgartner died after a tragic accident on July 17, 2025, in Italy — however not from skydiving. He was 56 years outdated. Known for breaking the world report in 2012 for his stratospheric bounce, Baumgartner’s demise was from a paragliding incident simply hours after he shared his closing Instagram submit.
Below, we’ve a breakdown of what occurred to Baumgartner and extra on his daredevil profession.
Who Is Felix Baumgartner?
Baumgartner was an Austrian skydiver, BASE jumper and general daredevil. Known for a number of jumps equivalent to from Petronas Towers in Malaysia and the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Baumgartner earned international recognition for leaping right down to Earth from a helium balloon within the stratosphere in October 2012. The undertaking was referred to as “Red Bull Stratos.”
During an interview with CNN 10 years after the record-breaking bounce, Baumgartner recalled his out-of-this-world second.
Extreme athlete Felix Baumgartner, the primary skydiver to fall quicker than the pace of sound throughout a 24-mile leap by way of the stratosphere greater than a decade in the past, died in a paraglider crash Thursday in Italy. He was 56.
This is him talking after that report bounce. pic.twitter.com/kK0wjFl9Sm
— The Associated Press (@AP) July 18, 2025
“I’m standing there on top of the world outside of a capsule in space and in the stratosphere,” he remembered. “I looked around the sky above me was completely black. I was really trying to inhale that moment. … I had tears in my eyes when I was coming back a couple of times because you’re sitting there and you thought about that moment so many times, you know, how it would feel and how it would look like. And this is way bigger than I had anticipated.”
He additionally described the difficulties of the 800mph fall, noting that it was “very uncomfortable.”
“You have a total lack of mobility. It always feels like you’re breathing through a pillow,” Baumgartner defined. “You’re completely separated from the outside world. So once the visor is down, all you can hear is yourself breathing.”
How Did Felix Baumgartner Break the Sound Barrier?
Baumgartner broke the sound barrier by free falling greater than 800 miles per hour throughout his Red Bull Stratos bounce. The pace of sound is roughly 767 miles per hour at sea stage in 68 diploma Fahrenheit.
What Happened to Felix Baumgartner?
On July 17, 2025, Baumgartner misplaced management of his paraglider, crashing right into a lodge swimming pool in f Porto Sant’Elpidio, Italy. A lady was struck within the accident however was not critically injured, in response to SkyTG24.
The precise reason for Baumgartner’s crash continues to be unclear, and authorities are investigating it.
Was Felix Baumgartner Married?
No, Baumgartner was not married, however he was in a long-term and dedicated relationship to Romanian businesswoman and tv host Mihaela Rădulescu.