Rock climbing personality Dean Potter was one of two men killed over the weekend during a failed BASE jump attempt in California's Yosemite National Park.
Potter and Graham Hunt lost their lives during a wingsuit flight from Taft Point, a scenic overlook perched 3,000 feet above Yosemite Valley. The New York Times reports that they were unsuccessful in navigating the park's granite cliffs, and collided with the rock before they were able to pull their parachutes.
"It's tremendously sad," Yosemite chief of staff Mike Gauthier told the New York Times. "Dean was part of this community and had such an impact on climbing. He was a luminary and in the pantheon of climbing gods."
Potter made a name for himself by setting speed climbing records in Yosemite, completing bold free solo ascents and executing daring high line stunts. The award-winning 2014 film "Valley Uprising" featured Potter's contributions to American rock climbing counterculture.