Professional Slackliner, Who Performed with Madonna, Among 2 Dead in BASE Jumping Incident in Remote Canyon

“A lot of people die doing exactly what I did,” Andy Lewis said in a past interview about the dangers of BASE jumping

NEED TO KNOW

• A 39-year-old slackliner, Andrew “Andy” Lewis, who broke records across the globe, died in a BASE jumping incident in Utah on Sunday, June 14
• Another unidentified man in his 50s was also killed
• Lewis helped popularize tricklining, which involves athletes performing spins and other tricks on a slackline in the air

A professional 39-year-old slackliner — who performed as Madonna sang at the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show — died in a BASE jumping incident in Utah over the weekend. Another man was also killed. 

On Sunday, June 14, officials were notified of a BASE jumping incident in Mineral Bottom, a remote canyon near the Green River, the Grand County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. Deputies, a rescue team, EMS personnel and two Intermountain helicopters responded to the scene, where they found an approximately 50-year-old man who died of his injuries, authorities said. Another man, Andrew “Andy” Lewis of Moab, Utah, also succumbed to his injuries at the scene. 

“The Grand County Sheriff's Office extends its deepest sympathies to the families, friends, and all of those affected by this tragic incident,” the authorities said.

The Grand County Sheriff's Office and the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's requests for additional comment.

Grand County Sheriff Jamison Wiggins confirmed to the Moab Sun News that the two men were conducting a tandem BASE jump when the fatal incident occurred. In tandem BASE jumping, one person is harnessed to a jumper with experience, and the pair go to the ground with one parachute. 

Lewis, who owned BASE Jump Moab, is a popular figure in the region and was known as “Sketchy Andy,” the paper reported. According to the company website, Lewis helped popularize the sport of competitive tricklining, winning multiple championships in the early 2000s and breaking records across the globe for highlining.

Until August 2015, the extreme sportsman held the record for the longest free solo highline after crossing 180 feet at a height of 197 feet with no leash. In 2012, the stunt performer was filmed conducting a trickline while Madonna sang on stage at Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis, according to the website. 

In an interview in 2012, Lewis told Outside that BASE jumping was the “most dangerous” of the high-risk sports he participated in. “A lot of people die doing exactly what I did,” he told the paper.

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For Lewis, one of his proudest moments was when he landed “the first-ever backflip on a slackline.” 

“After I landed the backflip, it really launched the evolution of modern-day tricklining,” he told Outside. “That moment ended up being part of the inspiration of probably thousands of people to get up and try their first line.” 

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