Extreme sports athlete and stunt performer Andy Lewis, who gained international attention for his appearance during Madonna’s 2012 Super Bowl halftime show, has died in a BASE jumping accident in Utah. He was 39.
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Authorities said Lewis and a second man died during a tandem BASE jump in the Mineral Bottom area of Grand County, a remote canyon region near the Utah-Colorado border. Emergency responders, including sheriff’s deputies, medical personnel, and helicopter crews, responded to reports of injuries on June 14, but both men died from their injuries.
The Grand County Sheriff’s Office identified the second victim as Danny Joe Kregle, a 68-year-old businessman, father, and grandfather. Officials said the pair were conducting a tandem jump, a type of BASE jump in which two people are harnessed together under a single parachute system.
Andy Lewis Had Built Quite A Reputation Through His Exploits
Lewis built a global reputation as one of the most recognizable figures in slacklining, tricklining, and BASE jumping. Known to many fans as “Sketchy Andy,” he won four consecutive world championships in competitive slacklining between 2008 and 2011 and became known for pushing the limits of aerial sports.
His profile rose dramatically in February 2012 when he appeared in Madonna’s halftime performance at Super Bowl XLVI. Dressed in a Roman-style costume, Lewis performed tricks on an inch-wide slackline while Madonna headlined one of the most-watched television events of the year. The performance introduced slacklining to a mainstream audience and transformed Lewis into an overnight celebrity.
Following the Super Bowl appearance, Lewis continued to expand his influence in adventure sports. He set records in slacklining, completed high-profile stunts around the world, and later operated businesses in Moab, Utah, including BASE Jump Moab and Aerial Arts Moab.
Friends and colleagues described Lewis as an exceptionally skilled athlete whose dedication helped shape modern tricklining and highlining. Fellow BASE jumpers said he possessed remarkable athletic ability and an unusual willingness to attempt difficult and risky maneuvers.
BASE jumping remains one of the world’s most dangerous extreme sports. Participants leap from fixed structures such as cliffs, bridges, buildings, and antennas before deploying parachutes.