3 Celebrities That Almost Died Through Their Love Of Extreme Sports

If you were a celebrity you would likely want to do whatever you could to keep your name out there right? Well why do you think this is? Well celebrities know that if they are not doing whatever they can to keep their name out there it is going to be tough for them to remain relevant. Celebrities have to do what it takes to create some kind of buzz about themselves.

One way they do this is by taking part in extreme sports. Now some celebrities genuinely love extreme sports, to the point where it has almost cost them their lives. Why would some celebrities engage in such risky behavior when it seems like they have everything anyone could ever want?

• Celebrities might get bored with the life they have because they know anything they want they can have. This means it is hard for them to experience any real sense of accomplishment. If they are making lots of money through movies or music, then it is tough for them to aim higher because they might feel they have already reached their ceiling. Extreme sports gives them the chance to experience a feeling few others do.
• Celebrities who take part in extreme sports might do so because it becomes easy for them get bored with regular sports, plus they might not be good at regular sports and this is something they do not like. Extreme sports are usually sports a person can take part in with very few people and most often alone. There are celebrities that relish this and might even see it as a way to push themselves to become better in other areas of their lives.
• Celebrities who take part in extreme sports might suffer from depression at times and these sports give them the chance to deal with the problem. These types of sports can be great stress relievers, plus when they are done on a regular basis the might help to make a person less vulnerable to bouts of depression or even anxiety. This is beneficial when you are a celebrity, because celebrities are constantly at risk for these issues.
• Celebrities who take part in extreme sports to the  point where they are willing to risk their lives might do so as a way to prepare for a movie or simply get over whatever fears they might have that are holding them back. Think about it, if you were nervous about something or you had to take on a certain role then taking part in extreme sports would numb you to the demands placed on you by these things.

With all of this being the case, celebrities taking part in extreme sports and risking their lives is not going to stop because other celebrities hear of near death experiences. Here are 3 celebrities who have had close run ins with death because of their love of extreme sports and stunts.

Jackie Chan

How many of you have heard of Jackie Chan? Chances are most of us. He is almost as well known as Bruce lee, but for different reasons. Jackie Chan is known most for the daring stunts he performs in a lot of his movies. This is what he hangs is hat on is the fact that he never used a stunt double. In one movie he took part in an extreme sport stunt in 1991. The name of the movie was called Armour of God 11: Operation Condor. He starred and helped direct this movie.

The stunt he performed in this movie became known as Zorbing and it is really popular now. He was the first to do it. The fact is Jackie Chan has almost been killed several times from performing extreme stunts and other high risk maneuvers. The only reason he has been able to escape with his life is because he is very good at what he does and he knows how to keep risk to a minimum.

Jack Osborne

Jack Osborne is hard to not notice when you see him on television. He is the chubby kid who looks adopted when you see him with his family. He has certainly come a long way from what a lot of remember from seeing him on the Osbornes. In any case, Jack loves all things extreme sports. He once took a trip to Africa where he took part in a bungee jump and a white water rafting adventure. He also likes to do rock climbing.

Jack is considered to be a quintessential adrenaline junkie who just cannot seem to get enough. Other extreme sports he has done would include a 100' free dive, sky diving, leaping off of ocean ledges, surfing in some of the roughest parts of Hawaii, running with the bulls in Pamploma, taking Muay Thai training in Thailand, ran in a 150 mile marathon, which took place in the Sahara desert, went through a tough jungle expedition in Central America and has even done hard core combat training in India.

Jack has never never really been injured to the point where his life is on the line, but he has been seriously hurt several times. Is this enough to make his stop? No way.

Richard Branson

If you know anything about Richard Branson then you know he is one of the most extreme sports enthusiasts in the world. We have seen some of the things he is willing to do on television. He is probably more known for his love of extreme sports more then his business success. One of the reasons why he does so many extreme sports and stunts is to sometimes create appeal for some of the products he he trying to market.

Even with this being the case he truly enjoys extreme sports and he does them on his personal time. Some of the things he does would include skydiving, rappelling down skyscrapers, and even kite surfing through some of the largest waves around the world. He has even tried to break a few world records on many occasions. Has he almost died because of the stunts and extreme sports he does, yes. But doing them is part of his identity and his brand overall. He has no plans to stop.

Even though these celebrities might have almost died because of their love of extreme sports, do you believe this is going to make them stop taking part in them. The answer is a resounding no. Celebrities that take part in these types of sports feel the risk is worth it and when they have the ability to have whatever they want it is just too easy to get bored. Maybe they might be a little bit safer in the future, but not to the point where they take away the thrill they get when they are engaged in extreme sports.

Jake Smith is a freelance writer who is passionate about traveling, sports and free running. He also works for Box13 among many other similar establishments.

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