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November 3, 2010
Andy Irons, Surf Champion, Is Dead at 32
By MATT HIGGINS
Andy Irons, a three-time world surfing champion from Hawaii
whose progressive wave riding and intense rivalry with Kelly Slater
invigorated the sport's competitive scene, died Tuesday in a Dallas
hotel room while traveling home to Kauai. He was 32.
His death was confirmed by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's
office. The results of a preliminary exam by the medical examiner
Wednesday revealed no trauma or reason to suspect foul play. The cause
of death is pending toxicology tests, which could take weeks to
complete.
Irons had been scheduled to compete at the Rip Curl Pro Search, an
Association of Surfing Professionals competition that began last
weekend in Puerto Rico. But he withdrew because of illness related to
dengue fever, according to a statement from his sponsor Billabong. A
virus transmitted by mosquitoes, dengue fever is associated with
tropical areas. Symptoms include severe headache and muscle and bone
pain, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
While Irons was returning home, his illness worsened during a layover
in Dallas. He was discovered in bed Tuesday morning by staff members at
the Grand Hyatt Hotel at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
after failing to respond to a wake-up call. Hotel employees alerted
emergency personnel, who pronounced him dead at 9:46 a.m. local time,
according to the medical examiner's office.
Irons's agent, Steve Astephen, said by text message: "Sad day. We lost
an amazing person."
As a competitor, Irons was known for his intensity and versatility. He
blended power with innovative and technical aerial maneuvers to signal
a new era in the sport. He arrived on surfing's elite world tour in
1998 and, after stumbling badly at first, steadily rose to dominance.
His younger brother, Bruce, followed him on tour. Both had been
accomplished Hawaiian amateurs, sharpening their skills on waves along
the north shore of Kauai, where they grew up.
"Back in his earliest amateur portion of his career, you knew he was
going to be among Hawaii's best when he got to the international
level," said Bernie Baker, a longtime amateur contest director in
Hawaii who knew Irons for 20 years.
Asked about Irons's fiercely competitive streak, Baker said, "Andy
already had that in his DNA."
On professional surfing's elite tour, Irons won 20 events, including a
duel with Slater, the nine-time world champion, in the final heat of
the final event in 2003 at the celebrated Pipeline Masters. With that
signature win, Irons claimed his second of three consecutive world
titles, cemented his reputation as one of the sport's greatest surfers
and punctured Slater's aura of invincibility. The two engaged in a war
of words in the news media before Slater wrested back the title in
2005.
Eventually they became friends, and Slater saw a softer side. "He was
the most intense competitor I've ever known and one of the most
sensitive people," Slater said in a statement. "He had so much life
left in him and it hurts to think about."
Those two sides of Irons made him a fascinating figure. "The kids loved
him because there was so much childlike personality in Andy, even when
he was so focused before a final," Baker said.
But Irons alluded to demons during a Billabong documentary this year.
"If I didn't have surfing to get those out of my system," he said, "I
would self-destruct."
In recent years, his behavior baffled the surfing world. While
struggling to post results, he abruptly quit the 2008 tour, citing
competitive burnout. He sat out the 2009 season before making a
comeback this year, winning the Billabong Pro Teahupoo, in Tahiti, in
September.
Irons was expected to compete in the prestigious Vans Triple Crown of
Surfing this month on Oahu's north shore, a three-event series he won
four times from 2002 to 2006.
The last world champion of surfing from Hawaii, where the sport was
invented, Irons became an icon there and abroad through his competitive
success in his home state and his innovative surfing style.
"He and his brother, Bruce, those guys were really the mold for all the
great kids you see today around the world," Baker said about his
legacy.
Philip Andrew Irons was born on July 24, 1978, in Hanalei on Kauai. In
addition to his brother, Irons is survived by his father, Phil; mother,
Danielle Tache; and his wife, Lyndie, who is expecting the couple's
first child next month.
On Wednesday, the event in Porta del Sol, Puerto Rico, was postponed,
and surfers and fans held a "paddle out" memorial service. They
gathered in the water, forming a circle, then joined hands and raised
them to honor Irons.
More info can be found here and here.
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Rest in peace ...
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