A POPULAR skateboarder killed in a plane crash had shared a heartbreaking final Instagram post about his happiness just days before the fatal trip.
American Josh Neuman, 22, was killed along with three others after the Cessna 172 aircraft was discovered in Lake Thingvallavatn in Iceland on Sunday.
In a social media post he shared online at the end of last month, Josh wrote: "I’ve been taking this past month to really work on finding better balance in my life – putting my phone down more often, being present, and not always feeling like I have to be productive.
"It’s definitely been a work in progress but I’ve already seen a major improvement in my overall mental clarity and happiness."
He added that he "stoked" to be planning more trips, writing: "Don’t want to say too much for now but stay tuned."
DAREDEVIL STUNTS
Josh – who was followed by more than one million people on YouTube – regularly updated his fans on his daredevil stunts.
In December last year he shared a series of images showing him skydiving, hiking volcanoes and "being pushed off a hot air balloon by his best friend."
Neuman was best known for creating one of the the most-watched skateboarding videos on YouTube, where his channel has almost 1.2 million subscribers.
Most read in The Sun
CREDIT CRUNCH 
New Universal Credit rules come into force TODAY – what you need to know
West Ham's Kurt Zouma KICKS & slaps his pet cat in horrific video
Saying goodbye to my kids as I bled to death… I just wanted one more cuddle
Corrie star Alexandra Mardell quits the show — and will leave role in April
He left the Icelandic capital Reykjavik on Thursday to help create commercial content for the Belgian fashion brand Suspicious Antwerp.
The YouTuber was joined by Tim Alings, the company’s sponsorship manager, 27; and Nicola Bellavia, a 32-year-old skydiver and social media influencer from Belgium.
Pilot Haraldur Diego, 49, was considered one of Iceland’s most prominent aviators and a pioneer of photography tours.
NO DISTRESS SIGNAL
The plane did not send a distress signal after disappearing from radar, according to reports.
Four bodies believed to be the men were discovered on Sunday with the use of an autonomous submarine and sonar technology.
Poor weather has prevented divers retrieving the bodies, found at depths of up to 157 feet.
According to Neuman’s homepage, he began making videos at the age of 12 with his father’s video camera and later dropped out of college to pursue a career in extreme sports and filmmaking.
In 2020, he published a sponsored video for Suspicious Antwerp, skating on a longboard down a winding road in Los Angeles.
Suspicious Antwerp spokesman Bram Boriau said the purpose of the flight was to capture footage of Iceland’s stunning scenery.
HAPPIEST DAY OF HIS LIFE
“All persons present were hugely passionate about travel and content creation, hence these themes were the main focus of the trip,” he told the AP by email.
In a statement, Suspicious Antwerp said: "We are enormously distressed by the news and our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends.
"We are in close contact with them, as well as the authorities, and we're doing everything we can to assist them during these difficult times."
In a statement Josh's family said he had called his trip to Iceland and seeing the Northern Lights as "the happiest day of his life."
They added: "In his 22 years on this earth Josh didn't just live life, he was life, and he lived every day to the fullest extent possible while being kind to everyone."
We pay for your stories!
Do you have a story for The US Sun team?
Email us at [email protected] or call 212 416 4552.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheSunUS and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSunUS
Source: Read Full Article
