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Star Stunt-Driver Dies in Snowmobile Crash

Rally champ Ken Block killed at the age of 55 in Wasatch County, Utah
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 3, 2023 8:16 AM CST

Ken Block, a motor sports champ and sportswear company co-founder who became an internet sensation for his nail-biting stunts, has died in a snowmobiling accident in Utah, per his Hoonigan Racing team. He was 55. The Wasatch County Sheriff's Office says Block was riding on a steep slope around 2pm Monday afternoon near his home when the snowmobile overturned and landed on him, per Reuters and TMZ. "Mr. Block was riding with a group but was alone when the accident occurred," the sheriff's office says in a statement.

Officials say he died of his injuries at the scene. Block co-founded the DC Shoes sportswear brand in 1994, then went on to launch his medal-winning rally driving career in 2005, which included wins at the X Games. Three years after that, Block started posting stunt-driving videos online in his Gymkhana series, and his Hoonigan YouTube channel became the most popular one in motorsports history, per ESPN.

"Few people get to the point in their lives where everything comes together, and to have it all taken away like this is devastating," extreme-sports icon Travis Pastrana tells the outlet. A statement from Hoonigan notes: "Ken was a visionary, a pioneer, and an icon. And most importantly, a father and husband. He will be incredibly missed." Block leaves behind his wife, Lucy, and three children, including 16-year-old daughter Lia, who's also a driver. Block had just posted online about Lia hours before his accident. (More death stories.)

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