The Swiss high-wire artist Freddy Nock is dead. He died at the age of 59, a spokeswoman for Circus Roncalli, where Nock last performed, confirmed corresponding media reports. There were initially no details about the circumstances of the death.
The Swiss was a multiple record holder. On his website he announced a new high wire world record attempt for this year. He wanted to use a hot air balloon to balance over a rope at a height of more than 5,000 meters without safety equipment – he didn’t reveal where on the website.
Nock came from a traditional circus family. She comes from Austria, but part of the family settled in Switzerland. Circus Nock has been active in the canton of Aargau since 1860. In 2019, the family stopped the business due to lack of money.
Freddy Nock balanced on the rope as a small child. He competed in circus festivals and set several world records. Among other things, he walked over the support cables of mountain railways in Switzerland, for example in St. Moritz and on Säntis. In 2010 he crossed Lake Zurich over a length of 900 meters on a high rope, and a year later he walked up Germany’s highest mountain, the Zugspitze, using a support cable from the glacier railway.
In addition to his stunts, Nock also worked as a motivational speaker on topics such as “How to deal with fear?” according to his website.
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