Wu Yongning fancied himself China’s answer to Evel Knievel — but without the rockets and motorcycles.
The 26-year-old daredevil was hoping his pull-up stunt from the ledge of a 62-story building — posted on YouTube — would net him $15,000 and pay for his wedding.
But instead it may go for funeral expenses. He was killed in a fall.
“He planned to propose to his girlfriend [the day after the stunt],” Yongning’s stepuncle Feng Shengliang was quoted as telling the South China Morning Post. “He needed the money for the wedding, and for medical treatment for his ailing mother.”
“Authorities describe the fatal fall as an accident and have ruled out foul play,” the New York Post said of the Nov. 8 tragedy. “Police believe he plunged about 45 feet onto a terrace and died of his injuries.”
Wu was known for scaling skyscrapers without any safety equipment, the Post said. “Just his own ‘martial arts training and careful planning,” one of his Weibo posts said, according to the outlet. He shared nearly 300 videos of his death-defying acts.
Knievel? He died at age 69 in Clearwater, Florida, in 2007 of pulmonary disease.