Automotive Legend Jessi Combs Of ‘Mythbusters,’ ‘All Girls Garage,’ Dead At 36
on Aug 28, 2019
Known for her work on Mythbusters, Break Room, Overhaulin’, and All Girls Garage, Jessi Combs has sadly passed away.
In 2013, Combs was crowned “the fastest woman on four wheels” after she set a record of 398 mph in her jet-powered North American Eagle Supersonic Speed Challenger.
The automotive legend was trained in fabrication and hot-rod building at WyoTech, making a career in hosting, building, and being a technical expert on shows like Xtreme 4×4, Overhaulin’, Truck U, and Two Guys Garage. She then starred in Velocity channel’s All Girls Garage and was a host and builder on Discovery Channel’s popular show Mythbusters.
Combs also competed in a variety of racing events. She became the first woman to place at Ultra4’s King of the Hammers, and performed very well in every race she entered including the Baja 1000, Rallye Aicha des Gazelles, and was the very first woman to race in The Race of Gentlemen.
While attempting to beat her land speed record of 398mph on Tuesday (August 27), she crashed her vehicle in the Alvard Desert, which is roughly 90 miles south of Burns, Oregon – a place she so often drove. According to ABC 7, “The Harney County Sheriff’s Office said it was called to a scene of a fatal crash. [She] was identified as the sole fatality connected to the accident.”
A member of her team, Terry Madden, confirmed her passing on Instagram this morning.
“So I don’t know how to say any of this but it all needs said. 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,” he wrote accompanying a video collage of 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!!”
https://www.instagram.com/p/B1tUB2lHGKX/?utm_source=ig_embed
The cause of the crash is still under investigation.
Tributes from fans and friends have been pouring in since the news of her death broke, with people commenting on what a incredible human being she was. Take a look at some below.
I am so, so sorry to hear this news. R.I.P. Jessi Combs. You were a hero to both men and women. What a sweetheart you were!!! pic.twitter.com/fBOefQWk9o
— Rikki Rockett (@RikkiRockett) August 28, 2019
I’m so so sad, Jessi Combs has been killed in a crash. She was a brilliant & too-notch builder, engineer, driver, fabricator, and science communicator, & strove everyday to encourage others by her prodigious example. She was also a colleague, and we are lesser for her absence.
— Adam Savage (@donttrythis) August 28, 2019
Rest in peace, Jessi Combs. Your energy, passion, and love of life on 2 wheels left a mark on so many. You will not be forgotten. 🖤 pic.twitter.com/lj7zRWEM4Q
— Harley-Davidson (@harleydavidson) August 28, 2019
Our thoughts and prayers are with her friends and family during this time of grief.
