Gilles Villeneuve was a Canadian Formula 1 driver.
He was born in 1950 in the French province of Quebec, Canada.
He started his Formula 1 career in 1977 with the McLaren team. His successes in total were 6 wins and 13 podiums.
In 1970 he got married and had a son and a daughter. His son was crowned Formula 1 champion in 1997.
He lost his life in a tragic way in 1982 in the tests of the Belgian Grand Prix while driving for the Ferrari team. He collided with a March at 250km/h with his car taking off and spinning in the air. Then for 200 meters it was overturned on the ground. His car disintegrated and his body was thrown and landed in nearby hedgerows. The medics who arrived noticed that he had a pulse but was not breathing. He was taken to the hospital where he died the same night.
[Source: en.wikipedia.org]
