'Jackass' star Ryan Dunn dies in fiery car crash
PHILADELPHIA, PA
Dunn, a daredevil who gained notoriety for diving into a sewage
tank and performing other unsavory stunts, was driving his 2007
Porsche in suburban Philadelphia when it careered off the road,
flipped over a guardrail and crashed into the woods before bursting
into flames. A passenger was also killed, and speed may have been a
factor in the crash, West Goshen Township police said.
The force of impact shattered the vehicle into several twisted
and blackened pieces, leaving the Porsche 911 GT3 unrecognizable
except for a door that was thrown from the crash and not
incinerated. A 100-foot-long tire skid marked where the car left
the roadway.
Both Dunn and his passenger were severely burned. Police said
they were able to identify Dunn through his tattoos and hair, but
the identity of his passenger was still unknown.
Dunn appeared on MTV shows "Jackass" and "Viva La Bam" and
the three "Jackass" big-screen adaptations. He also was the star
of his own MTV show, "Homewrecker," and just began hosting the
show "Proving Ground" on the G4 cable network.
G4 spokesman Dave Welch said "Proving Ground," which premiered
June 11 with the second episode slated to air Tuesday, was being
pulled for now until the network can discuss the show's future.
Dunn's longtime friend and fellow "Jackass" daredevil Johnny
Knoxville tweeted on Monday afternoon, "Today I lost my brother
Ryan Dunn. My heart goes out to his family and his beloved Angie.
RIP Ryan, I love you buddy."
Dunn also starred in the yet-to-be-released film "Living
Will." The film's website describes Dunn's character as a "party
bum slacker (who) returns from the dead as a mischievous and
perverted ghost."
In a statement, MTV praised Dunn's humor and enthusiasm and said
he would be missed.
"We are devastated by the tragic loss of Ryan Dunn -- a beloved
member of the MTV family for more than a decade," said Van
Toffler, president of MTV Networks Music/Films Group. "The Jackass
brotherhood will never be the same."
Dunn was born in Ohio and moved at age 15 to Pennsylvania, where
he met Bam Margera on his first day of high school, according to a
biography posted on his website.
Dunn, Margera, Christopher Raab (known as Raab Himself) and
Brandon DiCamillo, under the moniker CKY for "Camp Kill
Yourself," started making videos that featured them skateboarding
and performing stunts.
Dunn was working as a welder and at a gas station when
Knoxville, a friend of Margera's through the skateboarding circuit,
asked the crew to allow their videos to be part of the series
"Jackass," which became a hit on MTV and ran from 2000 to 2002.
Perhaps his most famous stunt, in 2002's "Jackass: The Movie,"
involved inserting a toy car into his rectum and going to an
emergency room, where he made up a story that he was in mysterious
pain after passing out at a fraternity party. Dunn's X-ray from the
hospital became a popular T-shirt for "Jackass" fans.
That first movie, filmed on a budget of just $5 million, went on
to make more than $60 million in the United States alone. The most
recent installment, released in 3-D in 2010, brought in $50 million
on its opening weekend alone.
In a 2000 stunt, he dived into a tank at a raw sewage plant
wearing flippers, a mask and a snorkel.
A few hours before the 3 a.m. crash, Dunn tweeted a picture of
himself drinking with two friends. The photo has since been
removed.
Autopsies were to be conducted Monday, though it was unclear
when the results would be released.