4. Karl Wallenda

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As the patriarch of the famous high-wire family, The Flying Wallendas, Karl Wallenda was very accustomed to risking his life while performing, which he often did without a safety net. On March 22, 1978, at the age of 73, he was performing his act on a 121-foot wire that was stretched between the 10th stories of two buildings at the Condado Plaza Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The combination of high winds and a cable that was not properly secured resulted in him falling to his death on the pavement below.