Who Is Dave Mirra’s Wife? Lauren Blackwell Releases Statement After Husband’s Apparent Suicide

Lauren Blackwell Mirra, widow of BMX legend Dave Mirra, released a statement after his apparent suicide Saturday. The star, who died at age 41, was reportedly found Thursday with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head in Greenville, North Carolina, TMZ wrote.

Lauren spoke through Dave’s agent, Steve Astephen. "Dave‘s wife and family are shocked and saddened by the loss of such a remarkable person whom they loved so deeply. Thank you for your kind thoughts and prayers and for respecting their privacy through this difficult time,” the official statement read Saturday, celebrity blogger Perez Hilton wrote.

Lauren and Dave met in Greenville and they were married in Napa, California, in February 2006, the Heavy wrote. Later that year, Lauren gave birth to their oldest daughter, Madison. Mackenzie, their youngest, was born the following year. Dave regularly posted Instagram photos of his daughters and often used the hashtag, #beadadnotafad. Many of the images show his daughters playing sports, including riding bikes.

Like her late husband, Lauren is into athletics. She’s a certified hot yoga instructor who began her own practice in 2015, according to the Heavy. Her mission statement reads that her practice is an “experiential worship created to deepen people’s connection to Christ.”

Mere hours before his death, Dave posted a photo of himself and his wife to Instagram. He called Lauren “my rock.” The post has since garnered more than 13,000 likes and thousands of comments from his 128,000 followers.

TJ Lavin, host of MTV’s “The Challenge,” spoke candidly about Dave’s death on Instagram. “Dave always had the best stories,” Lavin wrote Friday. “He was one of the funniest people you could ever know and was super quick-witted. I could give you a hundred examples of the things he’s influenced me on.” Lavin, 39, pleaded with fans to seek help if they have suicidal feelings: “Please know if you’re even thinking about doing something like this that its NOT the solution EVER. Please call someone and tell them you need help. It’s a permanent solution to a temporary problem. This goes out to anyone. Please get help there are people out there that will thank you.”

Follow me on Twitter @mariamzzarella