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James Bond Parachutist At London Olympics Dies In Accident

Stuntman Mark Sutton, doubling for actor Daniel Craig (or, as James Bond) during the Opening Ceremony of the London Olympics last summer.
Ian Langsdon
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EPA /LANDOV
Stuntman Mark Sutton, doubling for actor Daniel Craig (or, as James Bond) during the Opening Ceremony of the London Olympics last summer.

"The stuntman who parachuted into the London 2012 opening ceremony as James Bond has been killed in an accident," the BBC reports. "Mark Sutton, 42, from Surrey, died Wednesday while wingsuit flying near Martigny, Switzerland. Swiss police investigating the Briton's death said it appeared he had died after crashing into a ridge of rock."

Epic TV, an online broadcaster of extreme sports, says that "Sutton was one of 20 of the world's top wingsuit pilots who had been invited to a non-competitive gathering of wingsuit pilots who are filmed as they jump from helicopters. The accident occurred on the first day of the three-day event after several successful jumps had already been made."

Stuntman and base jumper Gary Connery, who was "Queen Elizabeth II" in the opening ceremony parachute jump, has tweeted this somber message:

"all you jumpers/flyers out there, stay safe, make wise choices and know your limits and your locations live to tell your stories one love"

In case you missed it at the time or want to see it again, there's video here of the James Bond / Queen Elizabeth appearances at the London Games' opening ceremony. The movies' current Bond, actor Daniel Craig, reprised his role — up to the parachute jump, where Sutton doubled for 007.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Mark Memmott is NPR's supervising senior editor for Standards & Practices. In that role, he's a resource for NPR's journalists – helping them raise the right questions as they do their work and uphold the organization's standards.