A man known for his daredevil stunts that ranged from BASE-jumping to sky-diving to tightrope-walking has died from a fall while preparing for a stunt. Tancrède Melet, 32, fell from a hot air balloon preparing for a stunt in Drome, France. He fell nearly 100 feet after he got tangled in a line that was holding the balloon down when the balloon suddenly launched into the air
According to the Guardian, the stunt was scheduled to happen on Tuesday. Melet was holding one of the balloons by the guide ropes as they prepared to launch the balloons. The stunt itself was supposed to feature Melet walking a tightrope between two hot air balloons.
The balloon suddenly took off and Melet attempted to hang on once it became obvious that he was not going to be able to disentangle himself from the ropes. He held on at arms length, according to the Independent, but could not hold on long enough for the balloon to come back to earth on its own.
Melet was famous for his stunts. He used wingsuits and hung from ropes over gorges. In one video he and a group of other daredevils formed a jazz band and played music while hanging high in the air.
According to the Telegraph, Melet was born in Meurthe-et-Moselle in eastern France. He became part of a group of daredevils known as The Flying Frenchies. He had performed wire-walking work before, including prior stunts where he walked between hot air balloons. His stunts were often features in ads and in movies and TV shows.
Melet is survived by a daughter he had with his partner Tiphaine Breillot.
