Motorsports, Action Sports, and Fashion Icon Ken Block Dead at 55

Gymkana star, rally icon, DC shoe founder, snowboarder, family man, and Head Hoonigan in Charge, Ken Block died today in a backcountry snowmobile accident.

Details are thin in the backcountry snowmobiling death of legendary rally racer and businessman Ken Block. Block, 55, was a renowned auto racer and entrepreneur whose raucous precision driving and Hoonigan brand pushed rally racing into the spotlight in North America.

His videos are wildly popular. More than 5 million people subscribe to his Hoonigan YouTube channel, which has racked up hundreds of millions of views.

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A post shared by Hoonigan Industries (@thehoonigans)

Ken Block Snowmobile Accident

According to a statement by the Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office on January 2, 2023, Ken Block was pronounced dead on the scene of a snowmobile accident in the Mill Hollow area.

At approximately 2 p.m., 911 received a call reporting the accident. Block was reportedly riding his snowmobile up a steep slope when it upended and landed on top of him. He was pronounced dead from the injuries sustained from the accident.

Ken Block: Visionary, Pioneer, and Icon

Block is probably best known today for his crazy motorsports antics as “Head Hoonigan in Charge” at Hoonigan Racing and Hoonigan Industries, both companies he founded. His Gymkhana films are legendary and have helped shape car culture, as have the thousands of car-focused videos put out by his team at Hoonigan.

Block also brought rally racing back to the limelight in America. He competed on the world stage in the World Rally Championships (WRC) — where he is one of only a few Americans to ever earn points — many seasons in the American Rally Championship (ARA), and in Rallycross.

Before motorsports, though, Block was an action sports icon and fashion pioneer. He competed as an athlete in motocross, skateboarding, and snowboarding. In business, he soared to prominence in the late ’90s when he founded DC Shoes with business partner Damon Way.

Through all of those amazing accomplishments and periods in his life, Block amassed millions of fans around the globe. The hole left by his passing will be felt for a very long time.

“I owe so much to @kblock43. I’m gonna miss him so much,” wrote renowned motorsports photographer Larry Chen on Instagram. “I’m absolutely devastated. He was the greatest ambassador for car culture of all time.”

Ken Block’s Final Instagram Post: Family

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A post shared by Ken Block (@kblock43)

A family man through and through, Block leaves behind his wife, Lucy, and three children. His oldest, Lia Block, just turned 16 and already has a promising career in motorsports herself.

Our heart goes out to Block’s family, friends, business associates, and legions of fans (ourselves included) today, as we have lost a “visionary, a pioneer, and an icon.”

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