DEADPOOL 2 was to be the first film Joi Harris starred in as a stuntwoman.

But the professional racer's life was tragically cut short in a stunt gone wrong - so what exactly happened?

3 Joi ‘SJ’ Harris has been identified as the professional stuntwoman who died on the set of Deadpool 2 Credit: Facebook

Who was Joi Harris?

Joi 'SJ' Harris was an African-American professional road racer.

In 2013, she underwent thousands of hours of training to become the first licenced African-American woman eligible to compete in the American Motorcycle Association races.

Harris suffered an injury from an on-track crash while training, forcing her to wait until 2014 for when she could compete.

An advocate for women in racing, she often shared photographs of her racing, telling friends to "enjoy the ride".

Writing on her blog, she wrote: "I've learned to accept that I am not the greatest rider that exists and that there is always something to learn when on track and pushing limits.

"Sometimes I'm going to eat it if I'm impatient. Everything takes time. Face your fears you never know what you can missing out on."

3 Joi was an advocate for women riders Credit: Facebook

What happened?

Witnesses told how Joi appeared to "lose control" of the bike before driving off the Deadpool 2 set at the Jack Poole Plaza in Vancouver on August 14.

One told Global News: “People were running on the sidewalk, the motorcycle comes flying across the street, looks like from a ramp because it was in the air.

“[The rider was] standing on the bike, slams into that building, clearly hit and out-of-control and clearly not planned.”

“It was so out-of-control, it looked like an accident.”

CTV News reported Joi was taken into an Advanced Life Support ambulance but it didn't leave the scene until 45 minutes later when it drove away without its lights or sirens on.

A broken window was spotted near the crash, with the motorbike left on the road.

It has been reported that she was filming a scene for the character Domino, to be played by Zazie Beetz.

3 Forensics examined the bike believed to have been involved in the tragedy Credit: AP:Associated Press

What has Ryan Reynolds said about it?

Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds released a statement after the tragic death of Joi, writing: "Today, we tragically lost a member of our crew while filming Deadpool.

"We're heartbroken, shocked and devastated... but recognize nothing can come close to the grief and inexplicable pain her family and loved ones must feel in this moment.

"My heart pours out to them -- along with each and every person she touched in this world."