Daredevil Felix Baumgartner who jumped from space in famous Red Bull stunt dies in horror paragliding crash

Felix Baumgartner, famous for a 2012 daredevil jump from space for Red Bull, has died aged 56 in a paragliding accident in Italy.

The Austrian foreign ministry confirmed the news to the dpa news agency.

Baumgartner shot to international fame off the back of a stunt sponsored by Red Bull in which he climbed to the stratosphere, 24 miles above the Earth's surface, in a giant helium balloon.

He became the first ever person to break the sound barrier in freefall, falling at 843mph, and the event was live-streamed by eight million people on YouTube.

He shattered eight Guinness World Records, including largest balloon with a human on board, the highest altitude reach untethered outside a vehicle and the most concurrent views for a live event on YouTube.

Felix Baumgartner has died aged 56 (Jerritt Clark/WireImage)

Local media reports that Baumgartner was paragliding in Porto Sant’Elpidio, Italy when he lost control while paragliding due to a sudden onset of illness and crashed into a hotel swimming pool at the Le Mimose holiday village.

A hotel employee was struck and taken to hospital with neck injuries.

Sky Sport Australia reports his long-time partner was in the area with him and informed of his death.

Aside from his jump from space, Baumgartner also base jumped from iconic landmarks such as the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur and the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro.