Olympic Bond stuntman dies in parachute accident

The stuntman who played James Bond in Danny Boyle's 2012 Olympic opening ceremony has died in a parachuting accident.

Mark Sutton was on a three-day wing-diving trip in the Swiss Alps, but died after he crashed into a ridge near Martigny, close to the French border.

Sutton, a former army officer who had served with the Gurkha Rifles, was among 20 other parachutists thought to be taking part in filming a wing-diving extreme sports video.

[Queen's spectacular entrance to the Olympics]

Wing diving involves wearing a special suit to allow parachutists to glide through the air.

He had jumped yesterday morning with a friend from nearly 11,000 ft and had planned to land at the hamlet of Le Peuty, near Trient.

The 42-year-old stuntman was the double for Daniel Craig in the opening ceremony sequence, where he jumped from a helicopter into the Olympic stadium.

He was accompanied by another stuntman, Gary Connery, who was doubling for the Queen, in the ceremony's most memorable sequence which saw Bond escorting the monarch from Buckingham Palace.

Speaking to The Sun, Connery said: “In any sport where you share a common bond you can make friends in a heartbeat that last a lifetime. My relationship with Mark was like that.”

He added that Sutton was 'smart, articulate and funny', and later tweeted: “All you jumpers/flyers out there, stay safe, make wise choices and know your limits and your locations live to tell your stories one love.”

Authorities have so far been unable to give a cause for the accident.