A Tribute to Ryan Dunn (1977-2011)

It saddens me to report that Ryan Dunn, one of the stars of the Jackass movie and TV series, died in the early hours of this morning in a car accident. Dunn was a hell of a stunt man, and a damn funny guy to boot. Always willing to put his physical well-being on the line for the sake of entertainment, perhaps the most tragic thing about his death is that it didn’t occur as the result of one last, insane stunt. In addition to Jackass, Dunn (a.k.a. Random Hero) also starred in the CKY stunt films, the Bam Margera-centric series Viva La Bam and two movies directed by Margera: Haggard (loosely based on the story of one of Dunn’s crushing breakups) and Minghags. Oddly enough, he also made an appearence on Law and Order: SVU.

At this point, it’s unknown whether Jackass will continue without Dunn. Since he wasn’t killed in a stunt, I’m hoping that they will keep the series going in his honour. The charm of Jackass was always in the fact that the daredevils who make up the gang are so genuine. They’re fun-loving guys – the kind of goofy delinquents that you might have known in high school. More so than any other actors, I feel as though I’ve actually gotten to know the Jackass crew over the course of their movies and TV shows. And I feel like I knew Ryan Dunn, even if he didn’t know me. Rest in peace, Ryan. You lived fast and died young, but the world of slapstick will never forget you.

More Ryan Dunn clips under the cut.




 

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