Skydiver and world record breaker Felix Baumgartner died after a tragic accident on July 17, 2025, in Italy — but not from skydiving. He was 56 years old. Known for breaking the world record in 2012 for his stratospheric jump, Baumgartner’s death was from a paragliding incident just hours after he shared his final Instagram post.
Below, we have a breakdown of what happened to Baumgartner and more on his daredevil career.
Who Is Felix Baumgartner?
Baumgartner was an Austrian skydiver, BASE jumper and overall daredevil. Known for multiple jumps such as from Petronas Towers in Malaysia and the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Baumgartner earned global recognition for jumping down to Earth from a helium balloon in the stratosphere in October 2012. The project was known as “Red Bull Stratos.”
During an interview with CNN 10 years after the record-breaking jump, Baumgartner recalled his out-of-this-world moment.
Extreme athlete Felix Baumgartner, the first skydiver to fall faster than the speed of sound during a 24-mile leap through the stratosphere more than a decade ago, died in a paraglider crash Thursday in Italy. He was 56.
This is him speaking after that record jump. 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 also 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 explained. “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 more than 800 miles per hour during his Red Bull Stratos jump. The speed of sound is roughly 767 miles per hour at sea level in 68 degree Fahrenheit.
What Happened to Felix Baumgartner?
On July 17, 2025, Baumgartner lost control of his paraglider, crashing into a hotel swimming pool in f Porto Sant’Elpidio, Italy. A woman was struck in the accident but was not seriously injured, according to SkyTG24.
The exact cause of Baumgartner’s crash is still unclear, and authorities are investigating it.
Was Felix Baumgartner Married?
No, Baumgartner was not married, but he was in a long-term and committed relationship to Romanian businesswoman and television host Mihaela Rădulescu.
