‘Mythbusters’ Star and Racer Jessi Combs Dead at 36

Jessi Combs, a racer and reality TV star, died Tuesday in an accident while attempting to set a speed record. She was 36.

Road and Track reports Combs was trying to beat her own land-speed record when she lost control of the vehicle. She was driving a jet-powered car across a dry lake bed in Oregon’s Alvord Desert when the accident occurred.

A 911 call was made just after 4 p.m. on Tuesday.

Jessi had previously earned the title of “fastest woman on four wheels” after reaching 398 mph in her jet-powered North American Eagle Supersonic Speech Challenger in 2013. She attempted to break the record last year, but ran into mechanical trouble.

Combs was also a builder, known for her work on reality TV shows like “Mythbusters,” “Overhaulin’,” and “Xtreme 4×4.”

Terry Madden, who worked with Jessi on the North American Eagle Supersonic Speed Challenger team, remembered Jessi with a heartbreaking message on Instagram.

He wrote, in part, “I have never loved or been loved by anyone as much as this amazing woman @thejessicombs she was truly my unicorn and I enjoyed every single minute that I had with her. She was the most amazing spirit that I have ever or will ever know. Unfortunately we lost her yesterday in a horrific accident, I was the first one there and trust me we did everything humanly possible to save her!! I’m not ok, but she is right here keeping my going.”

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