Two men died Sunday in a BASE jumping accident in a remote canyon near the Utah-Colorado border, officials confirmed. Among the victims was Andy Lewis, an extreme athlete renowned in the BASE jumping community and known for his appearance performing onstage with Madonna during the 2012 Super Bowl halftime show. The second victim was identified as Danny Joe Kregle, a businessman and family man.

The incident occurred at Mineral Bottom, a secluded desert area in Grand County, Utah, where emergency responders were dispatched after reports of injured jumpers. Grand County Sheriff Jamison Wiggins verified that both Lewis and Kregle died in the accident, though details about the circumstances — including whether the jump was conducted as a tandem descent — have not been disclosed.

Lewis, regarded as one of the sport’s most skilled and daring figures, had a reputation for risk-taking within the tight-knit BASE jumping community. John McEvoy, a BASE jumping instructor from Twin Falls, Idaho, who had jumped with Lewis, described him as possessing exceptional athleticism developed over years of experience but noted that Lewis often pushed boundaries by leaping into narrow spaces and delaying parachute deployment longer than most jumpers.

In addition to BASE jumping, Lewis was known for his work in slacklining and tricklining, disciplines combining high-wire walking with aerial stunts. His mainstream recognition stemmed from his 2012 appearance alongside Madonna, where he performed acrobatics on a narrow line during the widely viewed Super Bowl halftime show.

Lewis owned BASE Jump Moab, a company that provided tandem BASE jumps to inexperienced customers, pairing novices with experienced guides to mitigate risks. Tandem BASE jumping, which involves two people sharing a single parachute system, carries its own set of dangers—while it generally constitutes more basic jumps for novices, some within the community debate the safety and ethics of introducing newcomers to the sport in this way.

The second deceased, Danny Joe Kregle, was remembered by family members as a humorous and warm individual who enjoyed performing magic tricks with his granddaughter. Sydney Laverty, a relative, highlighted Kregle’s jovial nature and his dedication to family.

BASE jumping remains a high-risk activity, with a history of fatalities worldwide. According to a database compiled by BASEaddict.com, more than 540 jumpers have died globally since 1981, including notable figures such as Dean Potter and Graham Hunt, who died during a wingsuit flight in Yosemite National Park in 2015. A 2007 study focused on BASE jumping in Norway found the fatality and injury rates for the sport to be five to eight times higher than those for skydiving.

Lewis had openly acknowledged the extreme dangers involved. In a 2025 interview with documentary filmmaker Ella Warnick, he remarked on the prevalence of deaths in the sport as an accepted, though tragic, reality for many participants.

Investigations into the specific cause of the Sunday accident remain ongoing, and authorities have yet to release additional information regarding the jumps or whether safety equipment functioned as intended.