A weekend BASE jumping accident in a Utah canyon killed two people, including extreme athlete Andy Lewis, the Grand County Sheriff’s Office confirmed.
Lewis was widely known for his daredevil BASE jumping exploits and for performing onstage with Madonna at the 2012 Super Bowl. In BASE jumping circles, he had a huge following and a reputation for pushing the envelope, leaping into tighter spaces or deploying his parachute later than his peers would dare, said John McEvoy, a BASE jumping instructor in Twin Falls, Idaho, who has jumped with Lewis.
“He had an incredible level of athleticism and skill that was developed over years of practice,” McEvoy said. “But then he would take an incredible amount of risk.”
BASE jumping, a dangerous sport that involves parachuting to the ground after jumping from a tall fixed object such as a building, a bridge, or a desert cliff overlooking a deep canyon, carries a high risk of death or serious injury. Authorities said the accident occurred in a canyon in Grand County, Utah.