Professional surfers all over the world are mourning the death of three-time world champion Andy Irons. He was one of Hawaii’s best ever big wave riders. He was found dead in his Dallas hotel room on November 2. According to the Association of Surfing Professionals, he has been battling dengue fever, a viral disease. It may be linked to his death. He was found lying in bed on his back with the sheets pulled up to his chin. He did not respond to the knocks on the door so two hotel staff walked in to investigate.
World Championship Tour in Puerto Rico was postponed for two days in order to conduct a memorial service for the surfer. Prior to the event, Irons had already withdrawn his participation and cited ill health. He was en route to Hawaii but passed away during a stopover in Dallas, Texas. He was reported put on a saline drip after leaving Puerto Rico and was vomiting on a flight to Hawaii.
Hawaii’s Star Advertiser reported that a possible overdose of methadone, a powerful pain-management drug, could have been the cause of his death. Methadone, along with Alprazolam and Zolpidem, were found in his room but the official police report does not back this theory up. It would take 60 to 90 days for the toxicology tests to determine the exact cause of Iron’s death.
Irons was born on July 24, 1978 and learned to surf in Kauai, Hawaii. He braved the challenging and risky shallow reefs which made him the great surfer that he was. Over the course of his professional career, he won three world titles in 2002, 2003 and 2004. He also won three consecutive Quicksilver Pro France titles from 2003 to 2005, two back to back Rip Curl Pro Search titles in 2006 and 2007 and 20 elite tour victories which includes the Vans Triple Crown for Surfing, four years in a row – from 2002 to 2006.
Because of the pride and honor he brings to his hometown, the governor of Hawaii has declared February 13 to be “Andy Irons Day.” He was inducted into the Surfing Walk of Fame in Huntington Beach, California in 2008. Billabong has manufactured a line of board shorts all for Irons.
Despite the hyped-up rivalry between Irons and another great surfer Kelly Slater, the former feels honored to be affiliated with the latter. “He’s the Michael Jordan of our sport. Kelly knows how I feel about him. Despite all the media hype that comes out of a rivalry there’s a lot of respect given both ways. People don’t realize there are times when we hang out. We’ll go check the waves together. We talk about boards. He invited me personally to his contest on Tavarua. There’s a ton of respect there.”
Rival surfer and friend Kelly Slater dedicated his November 6 win to Irons, “I just want to send my condolences to Andy’s family,” Slater said. “I’m a little overwhelmed right now but I want to dedicate this to Andy.”
A memorial service for the legendary surfer was held in Hanalei Bay, Kauai on November 14.