A daredevil stuntman who set a world record more than decade ago for the highest-ever skydive has died in a paragliding accident in Italy.

Felix Baumgartner, an Austrian base jumper and skydiver renowned for his record-breaking jump from the stratosphere, died while paragliding in Italy on Thursday, local media reported.

The Austrian who made history in 2012 by becoming the first human to break the sound barrier with only his body died Thursday when his paraglider crashed in Italy.