Following Jessi Combs‘ sudden death at the age of 36 after her jet car crashed while she was attempting to break her own land-speed record, her family is planning a “Celebration of Life” to “continue her efforts to empower women and young girls to follow their dreams.” The announcement was made Thursday in a statement released by the family.
“It is with extreme grief, and in celebration of her life that her family and close friends share that race car driver, and TV personality Jessi Combs, passed away in a fatal crash, where she was pursuing a land speed record in the North American Eagle on August, 27th 2019 on a dry lake bed in Oregon,” the statement began, according to The Blast. “The details of the crash have not been released at this time.”
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“Jessi was known for her bright smile, positivity, and tenacious pursuit of the fulfillment of her dreams,” Combs’ family continued. “Her drive was infectious, and she served as a role model for young girls, and women around the world. People that loved her and followed her became family, all bonded together by adventure and passion. Her fans adored her, and she lived to inspire them. Jessi’s most notable dream was to become the fastest woman on Earth, a dream she had been chasing since 2012. Combs was one of the rare dreamers with the bravery to turn those possibilities into reality, and she left this earth driving faster than any other woman in history.”
“Surrounded by her family and friends at the time of her passing, Jessi lived fearlessly and her legacy lives on in the countless lives she touched,” it added. “Jessi is known for her hosting work on television series including All Girls Garage, Overhaulin’, Extreme 4×4, and Autoblog’s The List.”
A celebration of Jessi’s life in being planned and a foundation is being created to continue her efforts to empower women and young girls to follow their dreams,” the family concluded.
Nicknamed the “fastest woman on four wheels,” Combs had been attempting to break her own land-speed record in a dry lake bed in Oregon’s Alvord Desert when, at around 4 p.m. local time on Tuesday, Aug. 27, her jet car crashed.
In the wake of her death, the automotive community, her co-stars, and her loved ones have flocked to social media to pay their respects. In a post shared to his Instagram account on Wednesday, Combs’ boyfriend, Terry Madden, promised fans that he and Combs’ family were putting together a donation page so that donate to her foundation in the hopes of finishing the documentary she had been working on.
Along with Madden and his son Dalton, Combs is survived by her mother Nina Darrington, father Jamie Combs, brothers Kelly Combs and Austin Darrington, sisters Danielle Theis, Kayla Green, Kyrie Darrington, and Natasha Darrington, and step-sisters Rebekah Hall and Arielle Hall.
The fatal crash is currently under investigation.
