Felix Baumgartner, renowned BASE jumper, skydiver, and adrenaline enthusiast, tragically passed away on Thursday in a paragliding accident in Italy. The local police have confirmed the incident. Baumgartner, 56, was best known for his record-breaking jump from the stratosphere to Earth in 2012.

The extreme sportsman was paragliding in Porto Sant’Elpidio when he reportedly fell ill and lost control of his motorized paraglider. Baumgartner crashed into a hotel swimming pool, lost consciousness, and subsequently went into cardiac arrest. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

During the crash, a woman was hit but is now stable with non-life-threatening injuries. Prior to the accident, Baumgartner had posted on social media about his holiday in Italy and shared videos of his paragliding preparations.

A Look Back at Baumgartner’s Remarkable Career

Baumgartner’s thrilling jump from the edge of space in 2012 shattered multiple world records and even broke the sound barrier with speeds exceeding 1,300 km/h. This jump, recorded from nearly 39,000 metres above the Earth’s surface, surpassed Joe Kittinger’s record of 31,333 metres set in 1960.

Known as the “God of the Skies,” Baumgartner began his daring career with parachuting as a teenager before moving on to the more extreme sport of BASE jumping. Some of his most daring feats included skydiving across the English Channel and parachuting off the Petronas Towers in Malaysia. Despite his fame, Baumgartner also courted controversy in his native Austria with his political views.

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As the world mourns Baumgartner’s sudden passing, other stories trending now include the potential increase in mortgage payments for 60% of Canadians by 2026 and a suspect being charged with hijacking in connection with a security incident at YVR.

With files from Reuters

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