If the name Randy Schell doesn't immediately mean anything to you, that might not be so surprising, since neither his name nor his face are likely recognizable to the fans who would know him the most. Schell was arguably best known as the voice actor audiences hear on AMC during commercial breaks for The Walking Dead and Better Call Saul, among other things. Tragically, Schell's life was cut short this weekend due to terrifying skydiving accident.
On Saturday, July 8, Randy Schell was out in Houston taking part in a group jump at Skydive Spaceland Houston, and even though all involved were experienced and licensed, fate intervened in the worst way. After parachutes had been successfully deployed, Schell and another one of the jumpers collided in midair, which caused Schell's parachute to collapse, and he then fell to his death. The other jumper, whose name is Dennis (according to KHOU), survived and was treated for a leg injury.
Even though both men had successfully performed jumps earlier in the day, here's what went wrong during the fateful jump, according to Houston radio personality Chuck Akers, who was involved in the eight-person skydive on Saturday afternoon.
At the end of the skydive, when you're skydiving in groups, we all have to get away from each other so we can deploy our parachutes without colliding with one another. These are gliding parachutes, so the moment they open they begin moving forward, like they're designed to do. Randy and another jumper on the other load, by sheer chance, opened fairly close together. Randy had what is called an off heading opening, meaning the parachute didn't open facing forward. It opened, unfortunately, facing the other jumper.
Obviously, there isn't much one can do to stop nature's course in such a scenario, and Randy Schell will definitely be missed by many. Here's the actor a few years ago getting ready for a previous adventure at Skydive Spaceland.
Randy Schell has been putting his signature vocal talents to work for over 25 years now, and it's hard to imagine anyone out there not being familiar with his deep and textured voice. Perhaps his most famous regular gig had been with AMC, taking on TV spots and ad bumpers for shows such as The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead, Preacher and more over the years. As well, Schell has recorded commercials and more for some of the biggest corporations on the planet, including Coca Cola, Nike, Geico, Levi's, McDonald's, 20th Century Fox and more. He has also recorded promos for radio stations and TV affiliates all over the country.
You can catch him in action at the end of the ad below.
We here at CinemaBlend send our thoughts and condolences to the family and friends of Randy Schell in their time of mourning. We'll still be listening for him every time we turn our TVs on.
