Ken Block, co-founder of DC Shoes and Hoonigan Racing, died Monday in a snowmobile accident near his home in Utah, ESPN is reporting.
The news was confirmed on Hoonigan’s social media channels.
According to Utah’s Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office, Block, 55, was riding his snowmobile up a steep slope around 2 p.m. Monday when it upended and landed on top of him.
“We are saddened to hear of the loss of Kenneth and our hearts are with his family and friends so deeply affected.”
Block co-founded DC Shoes in 1984 and sold the brand 20 years later.
His interest in motor sports grew after he sold the company, and he went on to become a five-time X Games medalist in RallyCross.
“Ken was a legend in his ability to take a vision and make it a reality. He created an industry,” Steve Arpin, Block’s teammate in the Nitro RallyCross series, told ESPN.
“But if you were lucky enough to know him, that’s where the best parts of Ken surfaced. He treated his friends like gold and would create opportunities for whoever wanted to put in the work. He was everything this world needs more of, and just happened to do a lot of really cool stuff on the side.”
Block’s Hoonigan’s YouTube channel amassed more than 1 billion page views making it the most popular in motor sports history.