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Vin Diesel movie scene that went horribly wrong and tragically killed his stunt double

Home> Film & TV> News

Published 12:27 21 May 2025 GMT+1

Vin Diesel movie scene that went horribly wrong and tragically killed his stunt double

Harry O'Connor had worked on Charlie's Angels before he landed a role in Vin Diesel's 2002 movie

Emily Brown

Emily Brown

A stunt double for Vin Diesel tragically lost his life on set after one action-packed scene for a 2002 movie went horribly wrong.

Having worked on numerous disaster and action projects, including Charlie's Angels, Soldier, and The Perfect Storm, stuntman Harry O'Connor had gained a lot of experience in the business.

O'Connor was born in Michigan in 1957 and went on to earn his first acting credit in the 1998 movie Firestorm, but sadly it was only a few years later that his life was cut short after he landed a role in Diesel's 2002 movie xXx.

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The movie stars Diesel alongside Asia Argento and Samuel L. Jackson, and follows extreme sports athlete Xander Cage (Diesel) as he's recruited by the US government to try and infiltrate a Russian criminal ring.

O'Connor was a stunt double for Diesel in the movie (Columbia Pictures)
O'Connor was a stunt double for Diesel in the movie (Columbia Pictures)

While Diesel himself is no stranger to action movies, O'Connor worked as a stunt double for the flick as well as being credited as an 'aerial stunt coordinator'.

One scene of O'Connor's took place near a bridge as he had to zip-line down from a paraglider - but the scene did not go as planned.

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According to Entertainment Tonight, O'Connor hit the bridge at 'high speed', sadly resulting in his death at the age of 45.

At the time, Iva Knolova of the Prague police said: "He was being pulled at high speed on a paraglider and hit a pillar of the Palacky bridge. He died on the spot due to heavy injuries."

xXx director Rob Cohen discussed the scene while offering commentary on the movie, which you can check out below:

Diesel later opened up about the incident in an interview with Entertainment Tonight, explaining it prompted him to focus more on preparation and rehearsal for stunt scenes.

He said: “There was a bad experience early on, where we lost one of the stunt guys; a guy named Harry O’Connor, who was a great guy, on xXx.

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“That was a big eye opener for me and that probably more than anything has made me that focused on safety and rehearsal. I probably take it — take the rehearsal of action sequences and choreography — that much more serious because of it.”

As per the website Ain't It Cool, O'Connor was a retired former Navy SEAL who had been passionate about skydiving and flying.

In a tribute section attached to xXx, O'Connor is described by those behind the movie as a 'beloved friend'.

Featured Image Credit: Columbia Pictures.

Topics: Vin Diesel, Film and TV

Emily Brown
Emily Brown

Emily Brown is UNILAD Editorial Lead at LADbible Group. She first began delivering news when she was just 11 years old - with a paper route - before graduating with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University. Emily joined UNILAD in 2018 to cover breaking news, trending stories and longer form features. She went on to become Community Desk Lead, commissioning and writing human interest stories from across the globe, before moving to the role of Editorial Lead. Emily now works alongside the UNILAD Editor to ensure the page delivers accurate, interesting and high quality content.

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