Felix ‍Baumgartner,‌ Stratosphere Jumper ⁣and Extreme Sports Icon, Dies at 55

Felix‍ Baumgartner, the daredevil Austrian skydiver who captivated the world with his record-breaking free⁣ fall from the edge of space in 2012, has died at the age of‍ 55. His death was confirmed late ‌on Thursday by the energy drink company Red Bull, which sponsored many of Baumgartner’s daring stunts.

From Skydiving‌ to the Stratosphere

Born in Salzburg, Baumgartner completed ‍his first ⁢parachute jump ‍at the age of 16 and later served as a parachutist in the Austrian military. ⁣his reputation as an extreme‌ sports​ athlete grew exponentially‍ when he ⁣turned his hand to the sport of base jumping in the 1990s.

He ​set a ​new world record for the ⁣highest base jump ⁤from a building with his⁤ leap from the Petronas ⁢Towers in‍ Kuala⁣ Lumpur, Malaysia, in ​1999.‍ Later that year, he completed a base jump from the famous⁤ statue of Christ the Redeemer ‌in Rio de janeiro, Brazil.

On July 31, 2003, Baumgartner again made⁢ global headlines for his base ⁢jumping feats when he became the first person to cross ​the English Channel in⁢ free ⁢fall after jumping out of‌ a ‌plane equipped with specially developed wings made of carbon.

But it was Baumgartner’s record-breaking free ⁣fall from space in 2012 ‌that shot the ⁢Austrian to worldwide fame. Over the desert of New ⁤Mexico, he jumped from a helium⁢ balloon almost⁤ 39km (24 miles) above the planet and became the ⁣first person to break the sound barrier in free fall.

Baumgartner set three world records for his jump: He reached a‍ maximum ‌speed of 1,357.6⁤ kilometres per hour ⁣(834mph), or ⁣Mach 1.25; completed the highest jump at 38,969 metres; and recorded‌ the longest free fall with a length of ‍36,402 metres.

His death marks the end of ​an era for ​extreme sports, leaving behind a legacy of pushing human boundaries and⁢ inspiring millions.