Retired Air Force Col. Joseph Kittinger, whose parachute jump from almost 20 miles above the Earth stood as a world record for more than 50 years, died on Friday in Florida at the age of 94. AP reports that he died of lung cancer. Kittinger, whose plane was shot down over Vietnam in May 1972 and spent almost a year being tortured in a prisoner of war camp, gained worldwide fame in 1959-60 for three jumps over 10 months from high above the Earth. He almost died during his first attempt when he lost consciousness but was saved when his automatic chute opened. Kittinger’s record jump came on Aug. 16, 1960, in the New Mexico desert. He held the record until 2012 when Austrian Felix Baumgartner jumped from 24 miles above the New Mexico desert, an effort in which Kittinger served as an adviser. Kittinger is survived by his wife, Sherri.