Indian stuntman Sailendra Nath Roy, 49, died Sunday while zip lining across a deep gorge by his ponytail.
His death, however, had nothing to do with the dangerous stunt, but rather, a heart attack, doctors suspect.
Nath Roy was zip-lining across the Teesta River in West Bengal in India, which was suspended 600 feet in the air, in an attempt to break a world record.
He currently holds the world record for covering the longest distance on a zip-line while hanging by his hair, which is shoulder length, after previously covering 271 feet in 2011 in Rajasthan, India. The stunt was completed by attaching his hair to a pulley on a wire.
Even before suffering from a heart attack, the stunt was starting to go a bit awry, as Nath Roy got stuck halfway across the gorge, at which point he began shouting instructions for help, according to Fox News. No one could hear his directions and he remained dangling for 45 minutes before they were able to get him off the zip-line. He eventually went limp before he was recovered from the wire.
There were no medical personnel or ambulances present during the stunt. Nath Roy was admitted to a hospital where he was declared dead by doctors after what they suspect was a heart attack. An autopsy was planned for Monday to confirm the cause of death.
"Roy tried frantically to get hold of a second rope to reach the finishing point," senior police officer K. Jayaraman told Sky News.
Nath Roy had previously done other stunts involving his ponytail, among them pulling a 40-ton train on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.
"We were proud of his bravery," said Nath Roy's brother, Benoy, who was watching the stunt.
Nath Roy worked as a policeman when he wasn't doing stunts.
Nath Roy pulls a 40-ton train with his hair.
Nath Roy breaking the zip-lining record.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
