TRIBUTES ARE flooding in for US woman Jessi Combs, a former co-presenter of the popular science show MythBusters, who has died in a crash while trying to break a world record.
Ms Combs, 39, was aiming to become the world’s fastest woman by breaking the 824km/ph (512 m/ph) land-speed record.
She had been working towards this goal for several years, and on Sunday 25 August had posted an update on her journey.
She said:
"It may seem a little crazy to walk directly into the line of fire.
Those who are willing, are those who achieve great things.
People say I’m crazy. I say thank you.”
It may seem a little crazy to walk directly into the line of fire... those who are willing, are those who achieve great things. .
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People say I’m crazy. I say thank you ;)
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.#fastestwomanonearth #almost #fasterthanfast #jetcar #afterburner #landpsee… https://t.co/IrnCQQWMGJ pic.twitter.com/A5NZ6Luq0u— Jessi Combs (@TheJessiCombs) August 24, 2019
The hashtag #fastestwomanonearth accompanied the tweet, alongside a photo of the modified car she would be using to attempt to break the record.
While formal details of the crash have not yet been announced, Ms Comb’s family confirmed her passing in a heartbroken statement.
“It is with extreme grief, and in celebration of her life that her family and close friends share that race car driver, and TV personality Jessi Combs, passed away in a fatal crash, where she was pursuing a land speed record in the North American Eagle on August, 27th 2019 on a dry lake bed in Oregon. The details of the crash have not been released at this time.”
“Surrounded by her family and friends at the time of her passing, Jessi lived fearlessly and her legacy lives on in the countless lives she touched.”
Her family say they will remember Ms Combs for her “bright smile, positivity, and tenacious pursuit of the fulfillment of her dreams.”
“Jessi’s most notable dream was to become the fastest woman on Earth, a dream she had been chasing since 2012.”
It seems Ms Combs managed to achieve her dream before her untimely passing, as the statement goes on to sway “She left this earth driving faster than any other woman in history.”
Ms Combs’ MythBusters co-star Adam Savage was among those to pay tribute to the tragic star.
I’m so so sad, Jessi Combs has been killed in a crash. She was a brilliant & too-notch builder, engineer, driver, fabricator, and science communicator, & strove everyday to encourage others by her prodigious example. She was also a colleague, and we are lesser for her absence.
— Adam Savage (@donttrythis) August 28, 2019
The family are now planning "A celebration of Jessi's life" and "a foundation is being created to continue her efforts to empower women and young girls to follow their dreams."
See More: Jessi Combs, Mythbusters, Worlds Fastest Woman
