The British parachutist who performed a stunt dressed as James Bond during the opening ceremonies of last year’s London Olympics has died in an accident in western Switzerland.
Forty-two-year-old Mark Sutton died after crashing into a mountain near Martigny in canton Valais. He had jumped out of a helicopter at an altitude of 3,300 metres with another man while wearing a wingsuit – a special jumpsuit designed to increase lift when skydiving.
The former British army officer was part of a stunt in which he, dressed as James Bond, parachuted into the Olympic Stadium in London during the opening of the 2012 Summer Games accompanied by a fellow stuntman dressed as Queen Elizabeth II.
Gary Connery, the stuntman who impersonated the Queen, told the British newspaper The Sun that he had lost a «great, smart and funny» friend in Sutton.
According to Swiss police, Sutton had been part of a group of some 20 wingsuit jumpers who had gathered in nearby Chamonix, France, invited there by an extreme sporting venture that wanted to film online video footage.
The Swiss police are currently investigating the accident, which they reported happened at around 11 am on August 14.