Andy Irons

Philip Andrew Irons (July 24, 1978 – November 2, 2010) was an American professional surfer. Irons began surfing with his brother Bruce on the shallow and dangerous waves of Kauai, Hawaii, before being spotted by a local surfboard brand and flown to North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii, to compete and develop their skill.

Andy Irons
Personal information
Born	July 24, 1978 Kauai, Hawaii
Died	November 2, 2010 (aged 32) Grapevine, Texas[1]
Residence	Hanalei, Kauai, Hawaii
Height	6 ft 0.5 in (1.84 m)
Weight	170 lb (77 kg)
Surfing career
Years active	10 years
Best year	Ranked 1st on the ASP World Tour, 2002, 2003 and 2004
Career earnings	$1,495,533 [2]
Sponsors	Billabong, Von Zipper, Nixon Watches, Kustom Footwear, Dakine
Major achievements	ASP World Champion in 2002, 2003 and 2004 Quiksilver Pro France champion (2003, 2004, 2005) Rip Curl Pro Search title (2006 & 2007).
Surfing specifications
Stance	Regular (natural foot)

Over the course of his professional career, he won three world titles (2002, 2003, 2004), three Quiksilver Pro France titles (2003, 2004, 2005), two Rip Curl Pro Search titles (2006 and 2007), and 20 elite-tour victories, including the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing four times from 2002 to 2006.[3] He is the only surfer to have won a title at every venue on the ASP calendar.[4]

Career

His younger brother, Bruce Irons, is a former competitor on the World Championship Tour of Surfing. During his childhood, Andy regularly lost to Bruce in contests, but that changed once he entered the World Championship Tour. During his professional career, he won three world titles (2002, 2003, 2004), three Quiksilver Pro France titles (2003, 2004, 2005), two Rip Curl Pro Search titles (2006 and 2007) and 20 elite-tour victories, including the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing four times from 2002-2006. On September 3, 2010, he won the Billabong Pro Teahupoo in Tahiti.

In 2009, Irons withdrew from doing the full ASP World Tour season for personal reasons, though he did participate in a few events. He requested a wildcard entry for the 2010 ASP World Tour season, which was granted by ASP President Wayne Bartholomew. As a result, Irons did not have to re-qualify in 2010 via the World Qualifying Series (WQS). Irons won the Billabong Pro Tahiti 2010.[5]

He was inducted into the Surfing Walk of Fame in Huntington Beach, California, in 2008.[6] The Governor of Hawaii declared February 13 forever "Andy Irons Day."[7] He was the only surfer to have won a title at every venue on the ASP calendar.

Billabong produced an Andy Irons line of board shorts.

Death

Irons died on November 2, 2010. He was found lying in bed on his back with the sheets pulled up to his chin by two hotel staff after he had failed to respond to knock on the door and they went in to investigate.

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office concludes that Irons died from a cardiac arrest due to a severe blockage of a main artery of the heart. The official autopsy report lists also a second cause of death as "acute mixed drug ingestion", listing alprazolam, methadone, benzoylecgonine (a metabolite of cocaine), and traces of methamphetamine as the drugs found in Andy's body at the time of his death.[8] Initial press releases cited Dengue fever as the cause of Irons' death; however, the autopsy report conducted by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's office were negative for Dengue and other flavivirus.[9] It is unclear why rumors that Dengue fever contributed to Irons' death proliferated.[10]

In response to Irons' death, a World Championship Tour event in Puerto Rico was postponed for two days with competitors holding a "paddle out" memorial service for Irons.[11] Irons had withdrawn from the event citing ill health and was flying back to his home in Hawaii during a stopover in Grapevine, Texas, near Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.[11] He had reportedly stopped in Miami after leaving Puerto Rico, and early reports said he was put on a saline drip. He was reported to have been vomiting on the Hawaii-bound plane before being removed prior to takeoff.[12] In the days immediately following his death, it was reported that in Dallas, an extremely ill Irons had attempted to board his connecting flight to Honolulu at 11:30 a.m. but was turned away at an American Airlines gate—a claim the company denies.[13][14]

A memorial service was held November 14, 2010, in Hanalei Bay, Kauai. His wife Lyndie and brother Bruce scattered his ashes outside Hanalei Bay, where thousands of family, friends, and admirers said their last goodbyes.[15]

Friend and rival surfer Kelly Slater dedicated his November 6, 2010, victory 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... It's like exact opposites. This doesn't really offset that, I'd give this title away in a second if Andy could come back."[16]

Slater also wrote a candid remembrance honoring the life of Andy Irons on the anniversary of his death; it was also the same day that Slater claimed his 11th ASP World Title in San Francisco.

Personal life

Irons married Lyndie Dupuis on November 25, 2007, in Princeville, Kauai. She was seven months pregnant with their first child at the time of his death.[17] Lyndie gave birth to their son, Andy Axel Irons, in Kauai on the opening day of the Pipeline Masters in Memory of Andy Irons on December 8, 2010.[18] Lyndie and Axel continue to live on Kauai, where she and Andy shared a home.

Films

The 2018 movie Andy Irons: Kissed by God (directed by adventure-sport documentarians Steve and Todd Jones) is about the three-time world champion who died at 32 after a lifelong struggle with bipolar disorder and addiction. The film features in-depth interviews with Andy's brother Bruce Irons, his wife Lyndie Irons, Joel Parkinson, Nathan Fletcher, Sunny Garcia, and Kelly Slater.[19][20]

The 2005 movie Blue Horizon (directed by surfing filmmaker Jack McCoy) paralleled his life on the WCT tour with that of free surfer David Rastovich. The film also touched on his long-time rivalry with 11-time world champion Kelly Slater.[21] Although the film was created in a documentary-like style, there has been some debate over whether or not the film offered an accurate and fair portrayal of Irons' surfing lifestyle.

In addition to Blue Horizon, Irons was also a subject of many other surf films, including his screen appearance inTrilogy, which starred himself, Joel Parkinson, and Taj Burrow.

Rivalry with Kelly Slater

Irons had a much-publicized, and, according to him, overhyped, rivalry with fellow professional surfer Kelly Slater.[22] In an interview, Irons said:

For me, just being affiliated with Kelly--to be next to him--I mean, that's awesome. He's the ultimate surfer. He's the best surfer in the world. Ever. Best competitive, best free surfer, you name it, and to have my name put next to his everywhere really is flattering. 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.[22]

Slater himself was quoted in a Surfer Magazine tribute for Irons:

Andy was an absolutely gifted individual. I’m lucky to have known him and had the times we had together. I feel blessed that we worked through the differences we had and I was able to learn what I’m made of because of Andy. I got to know a happy, funny, innocent kid who was happy to live every second with the people he loved. I’m so sad. My thoughts are with Bruce and Lyndie and their parents and all of his many friends around the world. It’s a huge and far too premature loss for all of us. He was the most intense competitor I’ve ever known and one of the most sensitive people. He had so much life left in him and it hurts to think about. We look forward to his memory living on with our memories of him and his child on the way. There are a lot of uncles awaiting his arrival. I really miss Andy. He had a really good heart.[23]

Legacy

A 2018 documentary titled Andy Irons: Kissed by God chronicled Irons' surfing career and his struggles with bipolar disorder and substance abuse.[24]

Iron's family runs the Andy Irons Foundation in his memory which focuses on community programs for youth struggling with mental illness.[25] In 2019, Metallica and Billabong released the "Metallica x AI Forever" collection, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Andy Irons Foundation.[26][27] Irons had previously collaborated with Metallica and Billabong for a clothing collection in 2007.[26]

References

1. Finding Irons' cause of death will take weeks - Hawaii News - Staradvertiser.com
2. "ASP World Title Ranking | ASP World Tour - The Association of Surfing Professionals". Archived from the original on 2010-11-15. Retrieved 2010-11-20.
3. Hawaiians/HIC Sunset Pro remember Andy Irons - ESPN Archived November 7, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
4. Surfing champion Irons dead – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
5. Andy Irons Withdraws From 2009 ASP World Tour Season.
6. Connelly, Laylan (2008-07-25). "Watershed Events". The Orange County Register. pp. Local 3.
7. "Remembering On Andy Irons Day". World Surf League. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
8. Andy Irons' cause of death determined as cardiac arrest
9. "Andy Irons' Cause of Death: Heart Attack and Drugs". TheInertia.com. The Inertia. Retrieved 11 June 2011.
10. "Demystifying the Life and Death of Andy Irons". TheInertia.com. The Inertia. Retrieved 15 June 2011.
11. ABC Sport – Irons mourned as surfing event postponed
12. Robinson, Georgina (November 4, 2010). "Medicine, but no methadone, found in Andy Irons's hotel room, police report says". The Sydney Morning Herald.
13. Surfer Andy Irons Last Drop | OutsideOnline.com
14. Finding Irons' cause of death will take weeks | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
15. "Memorial scheduled to honor surfer Andy Irons". CNN. November 5, 2010.
16. "Kelly Slater dedicates title to Irons". The Sydney Morning Herald. November 7, 2010. Archived from the original on 8 November 2010. Retrieved 7 Nov 2010.
17. "Surfing: Irons leaves behind pregnant wife". The New Zealand Herald. 3 November 2010. Retrieved 3 November 2010.
18. "Andy Irons' widow gives birth to a boy". Honolulu Star Advertiser. 8 December 2010. Archived from the original on 13 December 2010. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
19. Andy Irons: Kissed by God - the Movie, official website.
20. 'Andy Irons: Kissed by God': Film Review by John DeFore, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 June 2018.
21. "Andy Irons Kelly Slater Rivalry". Archived from the original on 2008-12-19. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
22. Mauro, Chris. "Big Issue SURFER Interview: Andy Irons". surfermag.com Vol 45 #8. Archived from the original on 21 August 2004. Retrieved 7 Nov 2010.
23. "SURFER remembers Andy Irons". surfermag.com. 2010-10-03. Archived from the original on 2011-11-07. Retrieved 2011-11-02.
24. Andy Irons: Kissed by God, retrieved 2020-08-08
25. "ABOUT". ANDY IRONS FOUNDATION. Retrieved 2020-08-08.
26. "Metallica and Billabong Honor Andy Irons With Second Drop in Surfwear Collection". Revolver. 2019-12-06. Retrieved 2020-08-08.
27. "Metallica X Billabong - Shop Mens Collection Online". www.billabong.com. Retrieved 2020-08-08.

External links

• Official site