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Carla Wallenda, member of famed high-wire act, dies at 85

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Posted at 9:21 AM, Mar 09, 2021
and last updated 2021-03-09 09:23:46-05

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Carla Wallenda, a member of “The Flying Wallendas” high-wire act and the last surviving child of the famed troupe’s founder, has died.

Her family said she died Saturday in Sarasota, Florida, at the age of 85.

Wallenda was the daughter of Karl Wallenda and began appearing in the family's act at an early age. She began topping the family's seven-person pyramid at age 15.

She performed until she was 81, even after her father, a husband and other family members died in falls. She told a newspaper in 2014 that accidents could happen in any job and that she had to make a living.

She is survived by three children.