Two BASE jumpers died on Sunday, June 14, near Moab, Utah. One was Andy Lewis, 39, a well-known extreme sports athlete nicknamed "Sketchy Andy." The other was Danny Joe Kregle, 68. The Grand County Sheriff's office confirmed both deaths. ABC7

Lewis was famous in the world of extreme sports. He performed at the 2012 Super Bowl halftime show with Madonna, walking on a thin rope (called slacklining) across the stage. Outside Online His work included BASE jumping and highlining—activities where people jump from or move across high places with parachutes or ropes. The nickname "Sketchy Andy" showed that he was willing to attempt things most other jumpers would not try.

Kregle was 68, making him older than most BASE jumpers. His family said he was a father and grandfather. ABC7 Not much has been made public about his jumping history.

The canyons around Moab are some of the most popular spots for BASE jumping in the western United States. The sandstone cliffs draw jumpers from across the country because there are many places to jump from and they're easier to reach than mountain sites. The area has had several BASE jumping deaths over the years. BASE jumping does not require a federal license, and when people jump from public land, there are few official rules—something that both land managers and jumpers worried about safety have complained about.

BASE jumping is different from regular skydiving in one big way: jumpers are much closer to the ground when they open their parachutes. In skydiving, people jump from planes at thousands of feet. In BASE jumping, they're at hundreds of feet. That means if something goes wrong, there's almost no time to fix it. Experienced jumpers try to reduce risk by carefully checking the site and their equipment, but BASE jumping will always be very dangerous. It causes more deaths per jump than skydiving does.

As of June 15, details about exactly what happened—whether the two jumped together or separately—had not been shared publicly. The sheriff's office confirmed the deaths but said the investigation was still ongoing. Global News

Lewis's death will likely affect the BASE jumping community deeply. He was well-known and respected in that world. At the same time, Kregle's death matters just as much. He was 68 and had jumped for a long time. BASE jumping takes lives at every level of experience.

No investigation findings have been released. Authorities are working to determine the cause of death. More details may come out as that work continues.