Tragic Death of a Pioneer.
Tragic Death of a Pioneer.
Ken Block, Action Sports Legend. Dead at 55 after Snowmobile Accident.
The Action Sports World has been devastated Monday. Pro rally driver Ken Block, the Hoonigan and DC Shoes co-founder who revolutionized action sports marketing and motorsports filmmaking, died in a snowmobile accident near his home in Wasatch County on Monday afternoon, officials confirmed. He was 55 years old.
The Wasatch County Sheriff's Office said Block was riding on a steep slope in the Mill Hollow area when the snowmobile upended and landed on top of the 55-year-old. Block was out riding with a group for the day, but was alone at the time the accident occurred around 2 p.m.
Hoonigan Industries confirmed Block's death in a statement posted to its social media channels. "It's with deepest regrets that we can confirm that Ken Block passed away in a snowmobile accident today," the statement read. "Ken was a visionary, a pioneer and an icon. And most importantly, a father and husband. He will be incredibly missed."
Block co-founded the Skateboard Band DC Shoes in 1984. After selling the company in 2004, Block famously transitioned from marketing executive to one of the most recognizable names in motorsports and action sports. Only five years after getting behind the wheel of a rally car, he became a World Rally and Rally America podium threat and a five-time X Games medalist in RallyCross. Block became a known staple in the Action Sports industry.
Rewind back to 2008, Block decided to post the first of 10 Gymkhana videos to YouTube, which featured him stunt driving, drifting and interacting artistically with his environment, and nearly broke the internet. More than one billion views later, his Hoonigan YouTube channel became the most popular in motorsports history. Completely changing Action Sports for the new generation. And bringing it to the forefront for people who knew nothing of RallyCross and Drifting as a whole
