Skateboarding Legend Jeff Grosso Dead at Age 51
Legendary skateboarder Jeff Grosso died on Tuesday at the age of 51, though the cause of death has [...]
Legendary skateboarder Jeff Grosso died on Tuesday at the age of 51, though the cause of death has not been released. The Orange County coroner's office confirmed this to The Wrap earlier today, and our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time. In addition to being a top skateboarder throughout his career, Grosso built a whole other following as host of Vans' Loveletters to Skateboarding series, a show where Grosso paid homage to the most influential people in the sport and showcased the knowledge and personality that won him so many fans to begin with. Some of his friends posted tributes on social media, including Thrasher Magazine's Michael Burnett.
Burnett posted his tribute on Instagram, writing "Today we have the terrible task of saying a heartbreaking goodbye to beloved verticalist, commentator and friend of the mag Jeff Grosso. Jeff went from number-one amateur to 80s superstar to cautionary tale and back again. His latest role as lovable curmudgeon, host of his own history-packed web series and keeper of skateboarding's righteousness, unafraid to offend or annoy in his quest to educate, was by far his greatest – second only to being Oliver's dad. Ripping 'til the end, he became an unlikely mentor to the generations that followed – from Muska and Tom, to Lizzie and Brighton – always cheering, heckling or offering advice. Jeff could be as gentle and sincere as he could be hilarious and hard, (on the coping and himself.) He ALWAYS skated with style. His grinds were long, his backside airs were head high and his handplants were stalled out and sadder than a funeral. He will be sorely, sorely missed. Our hearts go out to his family and many friends. RIP @grossosucks ❤️ - Michael Burnett"
Tony Hawk also shared some thoughts on Grosso with TMZ, saying "Jeff was a true skateboarder at his core, and a great wealth of entertainment, insight and valuable philosophy to a younger generation. I was lucky enough to skate with him over the last four decades and occasionally featured on his Vans' Love Letters series."
"One of the last times we spoke, we talked about how ridiculous it is that we still get to do this for a living and that anyone even cares what we do or think in terms of skateboarding at our age," Hawk said. "I believe Jeff is a big reason that anyone truly cares, and skateboarding was lucky to have him as an ambassador and gatekeeper to its history. He was also a great father, which is obvious in his last social media post. Thank you Jeff, words cannot describe how much we will miss you."
Our thoughts are with Grosso's family and friends at this time.