The Tragic Death of MTV 'Nitro Circus' Star Erik Roner

It's been nine years since extreme sports athlete Erik Roner passed away, leaving fans to grieve and to ponder the nature of his stunts. Roner was a professional skier and BASE jumper, and he dabbled in many other heart-pounding activities before his death on Sept. 28, 2015. Here's a look back at Roner's career and the sky-diving accident that took his life.

Roner is best known for his appearances on MTV 's Nitro Circus Live , but within the action sports community, he was an icon around the country. Roner passed away after attempting a sky-diving stunt performance at Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows Resort in Alpine Meadows, California. According to a report by USA Today , he was part of group putting on a show to kick off a golf event at the resort, but during his landing he collided with a tree and was pronounced dead on the scene. He was 39 years old.

Roner was married to Annika Roner, and they shared two children. Oskar was 5 years old at the time of Roner's death, while Kasper was just over 1 year old. At the time, Annika told reporters: "Erik was a beautiful man, great father, wonderful friend and the love of my life."

According to a report by the Sierra Sun , Roner grew up in Marin County, California and lived in Tahoe City. He studied graphic design at BYU, but he also pursued a career in the outdoors and the sports he loved. He was considered one of the pioneers of the sport now known as ski BASE jumping, where athletes ski off of a tall precipice and then deploy a parachute or wingsuit to glide down safely. Roner reportedly got interested in BASE jumping in 2000.

In 2005, Roner became involved with the group that would become Nitro Circus thanks to motocross legend Travis Pastrana. He invited Roner to join him in the Grand Canyon where he attempted various stunts combining dirt bikes with BASE jumping. They would go on to create a live show performing stunts for audiences around the world, and selling DVDs of their exploits. The "Nitro Circus collective" secured a deal with MTV and create two seasons of reality TV about their work which debuted in 2009. They later made a feature-length film called Nitro Circus: The Movie 3D.

Still, Roner's friends and colleagues said that he was a down-to-earth, straightforward person through all the fame, travel and outlandish stunts. His friend Roy Tuscany, who was on the scene of Roner's death, told the Reno Gazette Journal : "That's the most important thing that needs to resonate here, is Erik had a wife and two amazing kids, and that's what he was most proud of. "That, more than anything, is what I hope people recognize... he was a family man, and had two of the most amazing beautiful kids in the world."