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(Image source: BBC / Balai Sutradhar)
BY LORA VLAEVA
Indian stuntman and Guinness World Record holder Sailendra Nath Roy died Sunday trying
to top one of his former stunts.
The 49-year-old man died from a heart attack in front of hundreds of people who gathered
to watch his performance. He was trying to cross the Indian Teesta River with his hair
tied to a 700-foot zip line at a 70-foot altitude. (Via YouTube / Media One)
IndiaTimes reports Roy had completed more than 50 percent of the journey when his hair
got caught in the zip wire's wheel, blocking him from moving.
The spectators initially failed to understand what was happening and continued clapping
and cheering him on. He died struggling to free himself in front of a horrified crowd
— which included his family.
Roy stayed motionless in the air for about 45 minutes before being brought down. (Via
India Today)
"He crossed almost 40 percent of the total distance. That time only a Red Cross ambulance
was present there at the site. When he was taken to the nearest hospital, [Roy] was declared
... dead."
Roy has been in the spotlight before for his hair-raising feats. He pulled a train weighing
more than 40 tons with his ponytail in 2012. He also swung from one building to another
with his ponytail tied to a rope in 2007. (Via YouTube / NTDTV)
Roy held the Guinness World Record for covering the longest distance on a zip line while hanging
by his hair. (Via YouTube / abpnewstv)
The New York Times notes other Indians with their names in the book include:
"Shakuntala Devi, who earned a place in the 1982 edition by correctly multiplying two
13-digit numbers in 28 seconds, and a 9-year-old from Karnataka who made the list in 2006 for
being the youngest director of a professionally made feature length film."
Before the stunt, Roy told his wife this would be his last performance. An autopsy is expected
to be performed Monday.