A self-taught engineer who called himself the “world’s greatest daredevil” died when his homemade rocket crashed during an attempt to prove the Earth is flat.
Mike Hughes’ death was captured on video as he was filmed for a new TV show, Homemade Astronauts.
The 64-year-old, who was nicknamed Mad Mike, flew his rocket into the sky but its parachute appeared to fail and it plummeted to the ground.
He had been hoping to use Saturday’s launch to reach a height of 5,000 feet.
Instead, dozens of people watched in horror as he crashed near Barstow, California.
Mike and his assistants had built the homemade rocket in his back yard, reportedly spending $18,000 (£14,000).
Before the tragedy, the Californian said he believed Earth was flat – or “shaped like a Frisbee”. He said he wanted to fly into space to make sure.
“I don’t think he believed it,” publicist Darren Shuster said. “He did have some conspiracy theories. But don’t confuse it with that flat Earth thing.”
He told TMZ that Mike was “one of a kind”, adding: “When God made Mike he broke the mould.
The man was the real deal and lived to push the edge. He wouldn’t have gone out any other way.”
Eric Sherwin, a spokesman for the San Bernardino County Fire Department, said they had not been alerted in advance that Saturday’s rocket launch was taking place or informed of the fatality after it had occurred.
He said officials said they would look into why they were not informed about the crash. He added Desert Ambulance, a private company, was at the scene.
He said: “They pronounced a single person deceased.”
Mike’s DIY rocket-making gained global attention, attracting the interest of documentary filmmakers and reality TV producers.
Homemade Astronauts is set to be launched on the Discovery Channel later this year.
His supporters donated money to fund his projects and to have their names on his rockets, Shuster said.
“He was this generation’s Evel Knievel,” Mr Sherwin said, referring to the late daredevil motorcyclist and showman.