Dean Potter, Legendary Rock Climber and BASE Jumper, Dies at 43

Pioneering free climber and BASE jumper Dean Potter passed away Saturday evening after attempting a BASE jump at Yosemite National Park.

Outside's Grayson Schaffer reported the news Sunday, explaining that Potter, 43, and his partner, Graham Hunt, were trying to fly from Taft Point in a wingsuit across a 7,500-foot promontory. Their bodies were discovered Sunday morning by a state police helicopter.

The spotter for Potter and Hunt, 29, heard two sounds that were thought to be the men either landing or deploying their parachutes. Rangers weren't able to find Potter or Hunt Saturday evening, delaying their eventual tragic discovery.

Yosemite chief of staff Mike Gauthier, who sometimes climbed with Potter, spoke about the situation.

"It’s tremendously sad," Gauthier said, per the New York Times' John Branch. "Dean was part of this community and had such an impact on climbing. He was a luminary and in the pantheon of climbing gods."

Professional rock climber Sierra Blair-Coyle was among those to reach out publicly after hearing of Potter's death:

Potter defied conventional wisdom and reshaped perceptions of extreme sports with his bravery and audacity to scale a number of tremendous heights in scenic areas around the world.

Without the safety of harnesses or ropes to hold him in, Potter managed to climb massive rocks and invented a new style of climbing called freebasing, which provides free solo climbers with the comfort of a parachute in the event that they fall.

On many of Potter's daring leaps and innovative climbs, his dog, Whisper, joined him, though Whisper was not with Potter on his final jump.

Potter is also survived by his girlfriend, Jennifer Rapp, with whom he produced a film last year about his BASE jumps, titled When Dogs Fly.

"The beauty of Yosemite inspired him to be the best possible artist, partner, father and friend," Rapp said, per the New York Times report. "This is exactly where he'd want his rule-breaking, fringe-pushing, counterculture spirit to live forever."

There is little doubt that Potter's spirit will be felt in Yosemite and far beyond thanks to the legendary legacy he carved out in his most extraordinary, original way.