The Death Of Tightrope Walker Karl Wallenda (video).

The Death Of Tightrope Walker Karl Wallenda (video).

Karl Wallenda's final — and tragic — tightrope walk was caught on video in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He had been performing stunts since he was six years old. He was trained to walk on a high wire, cycle across a tightrope, and balance as one of a seven-man pyramid. Rarely was a safety net used. For him, it seemed, nothing was impossible.

Then, on March 22, 1978, the world watched in horror as Karl Wallenda fell to his death. As he attempted to walk across a high wire strung between the two towers of the Condado Plaza Hotel, the 73-year-old Wallenda lost his balance, teetering on the wire for 30 heart-stopping seconds before plummeting 10 stories.

Karl Wallenda had been performing stunts since he was six years old. He was trained to walk on a high wire, cycle across a tightrope, and balance as one of a seven-man pyramid. Rarely was a safety net used. For him, it seemed, nothing was impossible

Then, on March 22, 1978, the world watched in horror as Karl Wallenda fell to his death. As he attempted to walk across a high wire strung between the two towers of the Condado Plaza Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the 73-year-old Wallenda lost his balance, teetering on the wire for 30 heart-stopping seconds before plummeting 10 stories.

Karl Wallenda’s death might not have been so highly publicized had it not been for his daredevil reputation and the fact that it was broadcast live on television

With a career that spanned over half a century, Wallenda was far from retiring when he headed to San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 1978. He was there to promote a circus act he would be performing with his granddaughter.

Wallenda’s final stunt was captured on live television by a local film crew who had come out to watch the show. About halfway across the wire he can be seen struggling with his balance and then falling. He struck a parked taxi and was pronounced dead.

A later investigation revealed that a combination of high winds and the fact that the wire had been improperly secured was what led to Wallenda’s tragic death.

Though he’s long gone, Wallenda’s legacy lives on through his great-grandson Nik Wallenda. Nik followed in his great-grandfather’s footsteps, and continues to perform alongside his siblings, hoping to honor the legacy that Karl Wallenda spent his life building.

In fact, Nik has since outdone his legendary relative. He holds 11 Guinness World Records, including performing the longest and highest bicycle ride (at 250-feet long and 135-feet high), and the highest tightrope walk while blindfolded.

In 2011, Nik, alongside his mother Delilah (Karl’s granddaughter), recreated the same walk that had led to Karl’s demise some 33 years prior. The duo walked a tightrope between the two towers of the 10-story Condado Plaza Hotel in Puerto Rico.

Nik claimed he wasn’t scared during the performance, but was honored to be able to recreate the dangerous feat: “To be able to walk in his exact footsteps is an extremely huge honor, and I did this for him as much as I did it for my family to get some closure too,” he had said.

Watch the video here:

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