6:03 pm | May 20, 2019 | Go to Source | Author:
VIENNA — Formula One legend Niki Lauda, who won two of his titles after a horrific crash that left him with serious burns and went on to become a prominent figure in the aviation industry, has died. He was 70.
The Austria Press Agency reported Lauda’s family saying in a statement he “passed away peacefully” on Monday.
“His unique achievements as an athlete and entrepreneur are and will remain unforgettable, his tireless zest for action, his straightforwardness and his courage remain,” the statement continued. “A role model and a benchmark for all of us, he was a loving and caring husband, father and grandfather away from the public, and he will be missed.”
Lauda won three Formula One world championships and was the only driver to have won a world title with Ferrari and McLaren. His rivalry with British driver James Hunt was the subject of the film “Rush.”
Lauda was badly burned in a near-fatal Formula One crash in 1976 and later became an airline entrepreneur
He had been a shareholder and team boss of the Mercedes Formula One team since 2012.
Lauda twice underwent kidney transplants, receiving an organ donated by his brother in 1997 and a kidney donated by his girlfriend in 2005.
In August last year, he underwent a lung transplant that the Vienna General Hospital said was made necessary by a “serious lung illness.”
Information from The Associated Press and Reuters was used in this report.
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