Jessi Combs Fans Mourn in the Comments of ‘Crazy’ Instagram Post Prior to Her Death

Jessi Combs’ fans are mourning her death in the comments of one of her most recent Instagram posts, shared just two days before her sudden death. In the photo, she walks toward a jet engine in the desert, captioning the post about walking “directly into the line of fire.”

“It may seem a little crazy to walk directly into the line of fire… those who are willing, are those who achieve great things,” Combs, 39, captioned the photo. “People say I’m crazy. I say thank you [winky face emoticon].”

Several of the professional driver’s 222,000 Instagram followers took to the comments section to mourn her.

“God Bless you,” one fan wrote. “RIP.”

“Rest in power Jessi,” another said.

“Such a big loss to the industry. Big talent, Big personality & a love for all things motorsports. RIP Jessi,” someone else said.

“what a horrible f—ing day,” another wrote along with several broken heart emojis.

“It is not the death that defines you but the courage to face it straight in the eyes knowing that your love excel to greater levels than no others can understand,” someone wrote.

Combs died Tuesday in a car crash while attempting to break a land speed record in a dry lake bed in Oregon’s Alvord Desert. Authorities confirmed Wednesday that there an investigation going on after there were reports of “fire” on the scene. According to Lt. Brian Needham of the Harney County Sheriff’s Office, authorities are attempting to retrieve laptops onboard the North American Eagle Supersonic Speed Challenger, the jet car which Combs had been driving, that may hold additional keys for investigators.

“They’re waiting for the team to recover the [engine and systems] information stored on the inboard computers,” Needham said, adding that “there was a fire involved” in the Tuesday crash, though it remains unclear if Combs’ vehicle hit something, which could have potentially sparked the blaze.

Combs had been attempting to break her own land speed record when her jet car crashed Tuesday afternoon. She held the title for the “fastest woman on four wheels” after piloting her jet-powered car to 398 miles per hour in 2013. More recently, she piloted that same vehicle to 483.227 miles per hour, although the ride was ended prematurely. She reportedly had her sights set on one day reaching the overall women’s land-speed record, which would have required her to break speeds of 512 miles per hour.

Combs’ family remembered her as “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,” they added in their statement.

In addition to being an automotive world legend, Combs also appeared in a number of TV series, including Mythbusters, All Girls Garage, Xtreme 4×4, Overhaulin’, Truck U, and Two Guys Garage.