Ken Block, action sports legend, who co-founded DC shoes and Hoonigan racing, passed away on Monday at the age of 55 after a snowmobile accident
Hoonigan announced the death on social media first, the Wasatch County Sheriff’s office later confirmed that Block was riding a snowmobile near his home in Utah around 2 p.m. and tried to ride up a steep slope, causing the craft to fall back on top of him. Officials later pronounced him dead at the scene.
“Ken was a visionary, a pioneer and an icon, most importantly, a father and a husband,” Hoonigan wrote in a statement, “He will be incredibly missed.”
Block co-founded DC shoes, a popular skateboarding, and shoe brand, in 1994 building the brand into global success through strategic sponsorships and athlete endorsements.
Block sold the company in 2004 for $87 million, he became better known as a rally car legend, winning 16 national titles in the sport from 2005 to 2014.
Block was competitive in motocross and skateboarding, but his true call to fame was documenting his automotive aeronautics on social media.
His YouTube page, which had over 1.95 million subscribers, credits itself for driving America’s burgeoning appreciation for motorsports.
Block had shared photos about the heavy snowfall at his Utah ranch on social media hours before the incident, writing, “hell yeah!” across an Instagram photo of snowmobiles.
Tributes to the icon were pouring in across his platforms on Tuesday morning.
“Ken was truly an idol and inspiration for me, getting into rally, I’ve never been hit so hard by someone’s passing,” Facebook user, Troy Dawson said.
“I never understood the draw to extreme sports until watching one of his videos. He was the draw,” YouTube commenter, Dave Smith said.
Block’s legend will live on through the rally racing success of his family. His 16-year-old daughter, Lia, has been competing in Hoonigan racing since age 11 and his wife, Lucy, made her all-wheel-drive rally debut this year.