Extreme athlete Felix Baumgartner’s tragic final posts before death during stunt aged 56

Extreme athlete Felix Baumgartner took to Instagram to share a series of posts just hours before he died at the age of 56.

Baumgartner defied the limits of possibility with his daredevil stunts, and accumulated a massive fan base doing so.

The Austrian became the first skydiver to fall faster than the speed of sound during a 24-mile leap through the stratosphere for Red Bull in 2012, which became one of his most well-known stunts.

The athlete was flying over the Italian village of Porto Saint’Elpido on Thursday (July 17) when Mayor Massimiliano Ciarpella said reports suggested he may have suffered a sudden medical issue.

The man, also known as ‘Fearless Felix’, then fell to the ground near a hotel swimming pool.

Felix Baumgartner has died aged 56 (John Moore/Getty Images)

Ciarpella said in a social media post: "Our community is deeply affected by the tragic disappearance of Felix Baumgartner, a figure of global prominence, a symbol of courage and passion for extreme flight."

A final social media post by Baumgartner suggested there were potential issues before the athlete died.

Just hours before the fatal accident, the athlete shared a picture of a filled Red Bull windsock in what appears to be an airfield to his Instagram Stories.

“Too much wind,” the daredevil said while he added the song ‘Sit and Wait’.

While that was posted on Instagram Stories, Baumgartner shared a video of him getting the motor of his paraglider ready on his main feed.

Baumgartner shared this Instagram Story just hours before his death (Instagram/@therealfelixbaumgartner)

"Man At Work," the athlete captioned the video that saw him preparing for gliding, something which Baumgartner very much loved.

The majority of Baumgartner’s recent posts all feature paragliding, suggesting the Red Bull star was a daredevil to the very end.

Many have flocked to the comments section of the athlete's recent social media posts and have paid their respects.

"This death feels like Steve Irwin's; you expect it to be from something wild daredevil stunt but nope, just paragliding accident. Sad," one fan penned on Instagram.

Tributes have been pouring in for the Austrian daredevil (Manfred Schmid/Getty Images)

Another said: “I remember watching this on TV when I was in high school. The wild ride comes to an end eventually. RIP to a legend. If you’re gonna die young, die doing what you love.”

Meanwhile, a third recalled Baumgartner’s incredible 2012 space Red Bull stunt by saying: "I remember his Red Bull jump from space. It was insane. He lost consciousness and came back to.

"Bro was beast and died being an absolute badass. You can rest peacefully now Champ, you did your thing.”

And a fellow fan summed it up by writing: "A true daredevil and legend of human courage."