A cause of death has been revealed for Jake Whisenant, the record-breaking climber who died on August 3 after falling during a climb. Whisenant, who was 30, died of blunt force trauma and his death was ruled an accident, the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office Coroner told TMZ. Following his death, longtime friend Bailee Moore remembered Whisenant as “completely devoted” and “passionate” about climbing. El Capitan is the same vertical rock formation that renowned climber Alex Honnold conquered in his Netflix film Free Solo, released in 2018. The film was critically acclaimed, and Honnold, 40, returned to Netflix in 2025 to free solo climb Taipei 101, one of the tallest buildings on Earth.