Sources close to the surfer have confirmed that three-time World Champ Andy Irons has died today. He was 32.
Irons missed his Round 1 and 2 heats at the Rip Curl Search Puerto Rico stop on the ASP Men's World Tour Saturday due to illness and was traveling back home to Hawaii when he passed away. Sources have confirmed that Irons was on an overnight layover in the Dallas area and was found in his hotel room. The Tarrant County coroner has not yet issued a ruling on the cause of death, but has confirmed that an autopsy will be performed on Wednesday morning and they expect to issue a statement by 2 pm Central Time.
Irons was arguably the most dominant surfer of the early to mid 2000s. In addition to his world titles, Irons had 19 world tour victories and has the distinction of being the only surfer to have won at every location on the tour. But more significant than the statistics was his reputation as perhaps the only true rival nine-time World Champion Kelly Slater has ever known, and the two engaged in some of the most memorable title races in history.
Irons returned to the World Tour this year after a one-year hiatus. While his results had been up and down, a recent win at the Billabong Pro Tahiti in August signified a return to form in the kind of powerful, barreling surf in which he made his reputation.
Fellow surfer Reef McIntosh, who grew up with Irons on Kauai, spoke to the scene in Hawaii upon hearing the news today. "I talked to Phil [Irons], I talked to Bruce [Irons] -- everyone's just crying. I was surfing Mavericks with Shane [Dorian] and everyone else and saw all these missed calls. My girlfriend called and said Andy had died. I didn't return these calls because I didn't want to drive and cry at the same time. Everyone on Kauai is crying right now."
