THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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CHICAGO - Comedian and actor Bill Murray looked down at the waiver and belted out a Frank Sinatra ballad honouring Chicago as he scrawled his signature on the form.

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THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/US Army Golden Knights, SFC Bryan Schnell

In this photo provided by US Army Golden Knights, Actor Bill Murray, bottom makes a tandem jump with US Army Golden Knights Staff Sgt. Joe Jones from 13,500 feet over Lake Michigan for the Chicago Air and Water Show in Chicago, Friday, Aug. 15, 2008.

"I'm signing my life away," he told The Associated Press on Friday, after singing several bars of "My Kind of Town." He added: "I figure if I'm ever gonna do this, this is the day to do this."

Minutes later, the 57-year-old took several deep breaths and stepped out the open doors of a C-31 Fokker flying 4,100 metres above Chicago, dropping at about 190 km/h to the city's lakefront with members of the US Army Golden Knights Parachute Team.

An exuberant Murray, whose jump kicked off the 50th Chicago Air and Water Show, landed safely on a lakefront beach.

The Second City alum and former cast member of NBC's "Saturday Night Live" pretended for a moment to stagger as if dizzy, then smiled broadly, waved to the crowd and shook hands with some of the Golden Knights.

Friends asked Murray to participate in the show, billed by city organizers as one of the largest outdoor spectator events in the country, to support the Illinois United Service Organizations.

Murray's acting career has spanned decades, including "Ghostbusters," "Caddyshack" and "Groundhog Day" to a 2003 Oscar nomination for his leading role in "Lost in Translation."