Olympic 007 dies in Alps crash

Danny Boyle has said everyone who was part of the London 2012 opening ceremony was "honoured" to work with the "wonderful" stuntman Mark Sutton.

The event's creative director said Mr Sutton had formed "a brilliant partnership with Gary Connery" to make crowd inside "the (Olympic Stadium) gasp" and leave them with "indelible memories" in parachuting in as James Bond and the Queen.

Mr Boyle also paid joking tribute to Mr Sutton for helping to smuggle in treats for the Olympic team in the hard slog towards planning the global show, saying:

Friends and work colleagues have paid tribute to Olympic stuntman Mark Sutton.

Jackie Harper, a friend and fellow member of the Army Parachute Association at its skydive base in Netheravon in Wiltshire, said:

RBS, where Mr Sutton worked as a contractor in the Markets division, offered "condolences to his family" and said everyone at the bank's "thoughts are with them at this very difficult time".

Watch: YouTube tribute to Olympic stuntman Mark Sutton

The family of Olympic stuntman Mark Sutton are understood to have flown to Switzerland following his death in a wingsuit flying accident.

His partner Victoria Homewood, though, is believed to already be there having reportedly travelled to Chamonix with him a few days ago.

The repatriation of Mr Sutton's body is expected to take a few days.

Olympic stuntman Mark Sutton's injuries from his fatal crash in the Swiss Alps have proven so severe that experts could only identify his body with a DNA test.

Mountain police said the daredevil wingsuit pilot was likely to have been flying at around 125mph (200kmh) when he hit the ridge. Investigators are examining if thermal winds played a part in his crash.

Police said Mr Sutton is the first wingsuit pilot to die during a jump in the Valais region.

A video in tribute to Olympic stuntman Mark Sutton has been posted on YouTube today, showing footage from his previous wingsuit jumps in Norway, Italy and Switzerland.

Mr Sutton, who stood in for Daniel Craig in the opening ceremony's jump into the Olympic Stadium, died in a wingsuit flying accident yesterday while on a trip making extreme sports videos in the Swiss Alps.

On August 10, Mr Sutton posted a message and pictures on Facebook, saying: "The sun comes out for a beautiful day in Chamonix, two base wingsuit flights from Brevent then a spectacular paraglide with Mont Blanc and the glaciers glistening in the background."

The mastermind of last year's Olympic opening ceremony, Danny Boyle, has paid tribute to the event's James Bond stuntman Mark Sutton as a "gentle and thoughtful" man following his reported death in a wingsuit flying accident.

Mr Boyle told the Evening Standard: "The show was built from so many contributions from so many people, none finer and braver than Mark Sutton's.

"On behalf of everyone in the show we were all honoured to have him worked with him and to have known him as a friend and a professional."

He added that Mr Sutton's death would be a "huge loss to his profession" and said "all our thoughts are with his family, friends and colleagues".

Watch: Mark Sutton charted his experiences with wingsuits on YouTube

Swiss police have said the fatal wingdiving accident occurred among a group who were in the region as guests of a company that makes extreme sport films for the internet.

Although police have yet to confirm the victim's identity, he is understood to be Olympic stuntman Mark Sutton.

Police, though, said: "The victim, a Briton, was 42 years old. He was staying in Chamonix (in France) with 20 followers, considered among the best in the world in this discipline."

Swiss police have confirmed that a 42-year-old British man has died after a wingsuit jump close to the French border.

The Valais canton said the man, understood to be Olympic stuntman Mark Sutton, jumped with a friend from a helicopter above the Grandes-Otannes area.

Police said the pair jumped from a height of 10,826ft (3,300m) at around 11:00am yesterday and had planned to land close to the hamlet of Le Peuty, near Trient.

They said a preliminary investigation suggests that he hit a ridge.

Wingsuit expert Gary Connery has told The Sun that his fellow Olympic stuntman Mark Sutton was "smart, articulate and funny", adding:

As well as teaming up for London 2012's opening ceremony, the pair also worked together on Mr Connery's successful maiden jump without a parachute, which made headlines around the world in May 2012.

The stunt parachutist who played the Queen to Mark Sutton's James Bond during the Olympic opening ceremony warned of the dangers of sky jumps yesterday:

It is unclear if Gary Connery's message was sent before or after Mr Sutton's reported death.

Read: Stuntman Gary Connery jumps from 2,400ft without parachute