KEY POINTS

  • Hoonigan Industries confirmed the news of Ken Block's death on Instagram
  • The 55-year-old was riding a snowmobile on a steep slope when he met with the accident
  • Block was declared dead at the scene

Rally car driving champion Ken Block, who was also the co-founder of Hoonigan and DC Shoes, died Monday in a snowmobile accident near his home in Utah.

The news of his death was confirmed by Hoonigan Industries in a statement posted on their social media channels.

"It's with deepest regrets that we can confirm that Ken Block passed away in a snowmobile accident today," the statement read. "Ken was a visionary, a pioneer and an icon. And most importantly, a father and husband. He will be incredibly missed."

Block, 55, was riding a snowmobile on a steep slope when the vehicle suddenly turned upside down and landed on him, TMZ reported, citing the Wasatch County Sheriff's Office.

The authorities arrived at the scene and Block was declared dead at the scene.

His last post on Twitter was about his 16-year-old daughter.

Who was Ken Block?

Ken Block co-founded the skateboard brand DC Shoes in 1984, and then sold the company in 2004. From a marketing executive, he transitioned to become a popular name in motorsports. His racing career began in Rally America.

In 2005, he participated in the national rally racing scene as a member of the Vermont SportsCar team, for which he received the title of Rookie of the Year. The next year, he entered the first X Games rally driving event, and in 2007 he began competing in the World Rally Championship.

In 2010, Block founded the Monster World Rally Team, becoming the first American driver to compete in WRC rally racing. In just five years, he became a five-time X Games medalist in RallyCross.

"Ken was a legend in his ability to take a vision and make it a reality. He created an industry," Steve Arpin, Block's teammate in the Nitro RallyCross series, told ESPN. "But if you were lucky enough to know him, that's where the best parts of Ken surfaced. He treated his friends like gold and would create opportunities for whoever wanted to put in the work. He was everything this world needs more of, and just happened to do a lot of really cool stuff on the side."

Action sports icon Travis Pastrana told ESPN: "This year, Ken was so happy. At the races, he was happy to be racing with Lucy and to have his daughter racing and to have his kids at most of the races... Few people get to the point in their lives where everything comes together, and to have it all taken away like this is devastating."

car rally
This is a representational image. AFP/Getty Images
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