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Ryan Dunn

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Ryan Dunn
Dunn at the Jackass 3D London Premiere in October 2010
Born
Ryan Matthew Dunn

(1977-06-11)June 11, 1977
Medina, Ohio, U.S.
DiedJune 20, 2011(2011-06-20) (aged 34)
West Goshen Township, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Cause of deathCar accident
Resting placeHighland Drive Cemetery, Brecksville, Ohio, U.S.
Other names
  • Random Hero
  • Prima Dunna
  • Plugs
Occupation(s)Stunt performer, television personality, actor, comedian
Years active1997–2011
Known forCo-star of Jackass
PartnerAngie Cuturic (2002–2011; his death)

Ryan Matthew Dunn (June 11, 1977 – June 20, 2011)[1] was an American stunt performer, television personality, actor, and comedian. He was best known as one of the stars of the MTV reality stunt show Jackass.

Dunn rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of the CKY crew with his long-time friend Bam Margera, with whom he performed extreme stunts and pranks and recorded them on video, which led to the rise of Jackass. He also hosted the TV series Homewrecker and Proving Ground, and appeared in the feature films Blonde Ambition and Street Dreams, as well as in Margera's films Haggard and Minghags. Dunn died in a car crash in 2011 at the age of 34.

Early life

Dunn was born in Medina, Ohio.[1] He grew up in Williamsville, New York, before moving to West Chester, Pennsylvania, where he went to West Chester East High School[2] and where he met fellow Jackass star Bam Margera on the first day of school.[3]

Career

Dunn (second from left; blue shirt) and Bam Margera (center) during a live shoot in New York, April 2004

Dunn took part in the characteristic stunts that made Jackass famous, and featured in three released films, Jackass: The Movie, Jackass Number Two and Jackass 3D. In 2006, Dunn and Bam Margera participated in the Gumball 3000 road rally in Margera's Lamborghini Gallardo.[4] He later went on a tour with Don Vito called "The Dunn and Vito Rock Tour" for which the DVD was released on March 20, 2007.[5] Dunn and Margera again participated in the rally in 2008.

Bam Margera stated during a December 2, 2008, radio interview with Big O and Dukes of 106.7 WJFK-FM, that he and Dunn would be going to Italy to film Where the F*%# Are My Ancestors.[6] That same month, Dunn appeared on the episode "Smut" of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in December 2008. He is also featured in a movie called Street Dreams which was released in spring 2009. He co-starred along with Rob Dyrdek and Paul Rodriguez Jr. Dunn was also featured on a show with fellow Jackass star Bam Margera about them traveling through Europe in a Viva la Bam-like show called Bam's World Domination for Spike. He appeared in Jackass 3D, which was released on October 15, 2010.

Dunn co-hosted G4's Proving Ground along with Jessica Chobot, which made its premiere on June 14, 2011, six days before his death.[7] However, according to a G4 spokesperson, the channel decided to postpone the airing of further episodes. The spokesperson added, "The show is off the schedule as of today until we discuss next steps."[8] On June 27, G4 announced they would air the remaining episodes starting on July 19, 2011.[9][10] At the time of his death, Dunn was working on the film Welcome to the Bates Motel. The film was later renamed The Bates Haunting and was released in 2013.

Personal life

From 2002 to his death, he was in a long-term relationship with Angie Cuturic, who had a part in Margera's directorial debut Haggard: The Movie and later Minghags. Dunn had several tattoos of Cuturic, including in his inner arm and left ring finger.[11]

During shooting of the closing scenes for Jackass Number Two in 2006, Dunn injured his shoulder during one of his final scenes, in which he and co-star Bam Margera are pulled out of shot by a running horse by a rope tied around their feet. Dunn dropped straight onto his shoulder, causing damage to the muscles and leading to a blood clot that was at one point life-threatening, due to its proximity to his heart and brain. While seeking treatment for it and Lyme disease, Dunn became depressed, eventually cutting off all contact with his friends, co-workers, and others for nearly two years, and did not participate in Jackassworld.com: 24 Hour Takeover, or any subsequent events related to the films and series.[12] He eventually returned to the Jackass cast in the production of Jackass 3D and Jackass 3.5 later saying that he was happy to rejoin the cast and had more enjoyment working on Jackass 3D than any previous film endeavors.[12]

Death

Roadside memorials left at the crash site

On June 20, 2011, at around 3:30 a.m. EDT, Dunn and Zachary Hartwell, a production assistant on Jackass Number Two,[13] were returning from Barnaby's West Chester, a West Chester bar, in Dunn's Porsche 911 GT3 when Dunn veered off the road and struck a tree, after which the Porsche burst into flames in West Goshen Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. Both Dunn, who had turned 34 nine days prior, and 29-year-old Hartwell were killed in the crash.[14][15] Dunn is buried at Highland Drive Cemetery in Brecksville, Ohio.

Hours before the crash, Dunn had posted a photo to his Twitter account of himself and Hartwell drinking at the bar.[16] He was identified in the police report as the vehicle's driver,[17] and a subsequent toxicology report showed a blood alcohol level of 0.196 g/dL – more than twice the state's legal limit of 0.08%.[18][19] The police report stated "speed may have been a contributing factor in the crash"[17] and preliminary investigations suggested the car had been traveling between 132 and 140 miles per hour (212 and 225 km/h) in a 55 miles per hour (89 km/h) zone.[20]

Prior to the drunk-driving crash that resulted in his death, Dunn had been convicted for driving under the influence of alcohol, resulting in his completing a treatment program as part of his sentence. "In 2005, Dunn was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and entered a first-offender program that allowed him to clear his record after a certain period of good behavior," according to Patrick Carmody, Chester County Assistant District Attorney.[21]

Wrongful-death lawsuit

In August 2012, the parents of Zachary Hartwell filed a civil suit in the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County, naming the co-administrators of Dunn's estate as defendants, along with Barnaby's West Chester.[22] The suit claims negligence and recklessness, as well as wrongful death in the incident that killed Hartwell.

The plaintiffs claim that Dunn displayed negligence and recklessness in failing to have his vehicle under adequate and proper control, operating his vehicle under the influence of alcohol, operating his vehicle at an excessive speed and violently veering off a road and into a tree, among other alleged transgressions. They are seeking unspecified punitive and compensatory damages, as well as interest, court costs and "delay damages as the law may allow."[23]

Hartwell's parents sought to recover from Dunn's estate the following: the costs of their son's funeral, wages due for his behind-the-scenes and stunt work on various Jackass projects, the projected loss of income from his premature death, pain & suffering, and other damages, but they did not specify an amount.[24] As of June 2022, it is unclear what the resolution of this lawsuit was.

Legacy

Dunn is remembered by friends and fans alike as the "go-to guy for outrageous stunts that even such stalwarts as Steve-O weren't willing to try" and "the kind of guy who would do anything for a friend," gaining the nickname "Random Hero".[25]

Following the news of his death, Dickhouse Productions and the producers of the show released the following statement:

I don't really know what to say right now everybody, because the sadness is overwhelming, but today we lost one of our own. Our brother Ryan Dunn has passed. He died in a car wreck in West Goshen, Pennsylvania this morning at 3 a.m. that's tough to write. Our hearts go out to his family and his beloved Angie. Ryan will be missed and remembered by us all. Thanks for the kind words of support everybody.

Many celebrities expressed their grief and condolences on Twitter, including Sofia Coppola, Tom Green, Carey Hart, Dwayne Johnson, Tony Hawk, and his Jackass cast members.[26]

Kings of Leon also paid homage to Dunn at their London Hyde Park concert by dedicating their song "McFearless" to him. Skrillex dedicated his remix of the song "Cinema" to Dunn after a moment of silence.[27] Alkaline Trio also dedicated their song "Goodbye Forever" to Dunn on their fifteen-year anniversary tour. Singer/songwriter Roger Alan Wade wrote and composed the song "The Light Outlives the Star", while also dedicating it to Dunn. Occasional Jackass member Loomis Fall also wrote the song "Bid Farewell" in memory of Dunn. Both songs were used in a music video tribute by Dickhouse Productions for its official website.[28]

Dunn also came in at number three in top trending searches of 2011 on Google's Zeitgeist report following his death.[29]

On November 28, 2011, MTV aired an hour-long tribute to Dunn, where several details of his life previously unknown to the public were revealed as well as never-before-seen stunts he performed. Dunn's parents, sister, friends and both Jackass and Viva La Bam cast mates recalled his early beginnings to final months.

The 2013 film Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa is dedicated to him, and the 2022 film Jackass Forever included a mid-credits tribute to Dunn. The 2022 film Jackass 4.5 is also dedicated to him.

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1997 Invader Army Private
1999 Landspeed Presents: CKY Himself Direct-to-video
2000 CKY2K Himself Direct-to-video
2001 CKY3 Himself Direct-to-video
2001 CKY Documentary Himself Direct-to-video
2001 Don't Try This at Home – The Steve-O Video Vol. 1 Himself Direct-to-video
2002 Criminal Mischief David Smith
2002 Jackass: The Movie Himself Writer
2002 Don't Try This at Home – The Steve-O Video Vol. 2: The Tour Himself Direct-to-video
2002 CKY4: The Latest & Greatest Himself Direct-to-video
2003 Haggard: The Movie Ry
2003 Steve-O: Out on Bail Himself Direct-to-video
2004 Client 3815 Jackson Short film
2005 The Dudesons Movie Himself Guest appearances
2005 A Halfway House Christmas Buzz
2006 Dunn & Vito's Rock Tour Himself Direct-to-video
2006 Jackass Number Two Himself Writer
2007 Blonde Ambition Griswold
2007 3000 Miles Himself Direct-to-video documentary
2007 Jackass 2.5 Himself Writer
2009 Street Dreams Cash
2009 Minghags: The Movie Tucker
2010 Jackass 3D Himself Writer
2011 Close-Up The Drug Dealer
2011 Jackass 3.5 Himself Writer
2011 Living Will Belcher Producer
Posthumous release
2012 Booted The Health Inspector Posthumous release
2012 The Bates Haunting Angry Customer Posthumous release
2013 Earth Rocker Himself Clips
Posthumous release
2020 Steve-O: Gnarly Himself Archive footage
Direct-to-video
2022 Jackass Forever Himself Archive footage
2022 Jackass 4.5 Himself Archive footage
Television
Year Title Role Notes
2000–2001 Jackass Himself 21 episodes
2002 Jackass Backyard BBQ Himself TV special
2002 MTV Cribs Himself October 23, 2002 episode
2003 Jackass Winterjam Himself TV special
2003–2006 Viva La Bam Himself 41 episodes
2005 Homewrecker Himself Host
8 episodes
2005 Commando VIP Himself 6 episodes
2006 The Dudesons Himself 1 episode
2007 Bam's Unholy Union Himself 3 episodes
2007 Crank Yankers Himself (voice) Episode 4.6
2008 Jackassworld.com: 24 Hour Takeover Himself (archived footage) Television special
2008 Bamimation Himself (voice) TV short
2008 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Riley Slade Episode: "Smut"
2010 The Dudesons in America Himself Episode: "Winter Games"
2010 Bam's World Domination Himself Television special
2011 Proving Ground Himself Host
9 episodes
2011 Minute to Win It Himself 1 episode
2011 Ridiculousness Himself 1 episode
2011 A Tribute to Ryan Dunn Himself Archive footage
2014 CKY: The Greatest Hits Himself Archive footage
Video games
Year Title Role Notes
2007 Jackass: The Game Himself Voice
Music videos
Year Artist Track Role Notes
2002 CKY "Flesh into Gear" Himself
2004 Clutch "Mob Goes Wild" Himself
2006 Chris Pontius "Karazy" Himself
2010 Weezer "Memories" Himself

Discography

References

  1. ^ a b Daniel E. Slotnik (June 20, 2011). "Ryan Dunn, Daredevil Comedian, Dies at 34". The New York Times. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  2. ^ Mele, Christina; Gerrard, Jeremy. "In West Chester, 'Jackass' star's antics remembered fondly (With Video)". The Delaware County Daily Times. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  3. ^ Childs, Martin (October 22, 2011). "Ryan Dunn: Comedian and stuntman who became a mainstay of the 'Jackass' team". The Independent. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  4. ^ Sellmeyer, Des (April 12, 2006). "Bam Margera and Dunn in Gumball 2006". GTspirit.com. Retrieved July 15, 2009.
  5. ^ Margera, Bam (March 20, 2007). "Dunn & Vito's Rock Tour: Movies & TV: Ryan Dunn, Steve-O, Don Vito". Amazon. Retrieved June 20, 2011.
  6. ^ Interview with Big O and Dukes WJFK 1067 [dead link‍]
  7. ^ ""G4's Proving Ground" Takes Viewers on a Roller Coaster Ride of Trial and Error When New Series Premieres June 14th at 8 PM ET/PT". May 5, 2011. Retrieved July 13, 2011.
  8. ^ McCarthy, Ellen (June 10, 2011). "The TV Column: G4 pulls this week's 'Proving Ground' after Ryan Dunn's death". Washingstonpost.com. Retrieved June 10, 2011.
  9. ^ Itzkoff, Dave (June 27, 2011). "G4 Will Show Remaining Episodes of Series Featuring Ryan Dunn". The New York Times. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
  10. ^ Vena, Jocelyn (June 27, 2011). "Ryan Dunn's 'Proving Ground' Returns To G4 in July". MTV. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
  11. ^ "Ryan Dunn's Girlfriend, Angie Cuturic: The Woman Behind The Tragedy (PHOTOS)". London: Global Grind. June 24, 2011. Archived from the original on January 17, 2012.
  12. ^ a b A Tribute to Ryan Dunn: MTV special
  13. ^ "Ryan Dunn died from impact and heat of crash, says coroner". The Guardian. London. Associated Press. June 22, 2011.
  14. ^ "'Jackass' star Ryan Dunn killed in Pa. crash". Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: WPVI-TV, ABC Owned Television Stations. June 20, 2011. Retrieved June 30, 2011.
  15. ^ "Ryan Dunn Dead: 'Jackass' Star Dies In Car Crash". The Huffington Post. June 20, 2011. Retrieved June 20, 2011.
  16. ^ "Jackass star Ryan Dunn died of blunt, thermal trauma caused by fiery car wreck: coroner". The Calgary Herald. Archived from the original on June 25, 2011. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
  17. ^ a b "West Goshen Township Police Department, Press Release" (PDF). The Hollywood Reporter.
  18. ^ Fowler, Tara (June 22, 2011). "Ryan Dunn more than twice legal drink limit at time of crash". Digital Spy. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  19. ^ "Ryan Dunn Was Drunk and Speeding: Police". ABC News. June 22, 2011. Retrieved June 22, 2011.
  20. ^ "Police: 'Jackass' star Ryan Dunn was drunk and driving over 132 mph". CNN. June 22, 2011. Retrieved June 23, 2011.
  21. ^ "Jackass Star Ryan Dunn's DUI History". RadarOnline. June 20, 2011. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  22. ^ "Hartwell, G. and E. v. Barnaby's W. Chester (memorandum)". Justia Law. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  23. ^ "Ryan Dunn Lawsuit: 'Jackass' Star's Estate Sued By Parents Of Dead Passenger (VIDEO)". HuffPost. August 10, 2012.
  24. ^ Kaufman, Gil. "Ryan Dunn's Passenger ID'd As Investigation Continues". MTV News. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  25. ^ Gil Kaufman (December 26, 2011). "Ryan Dunn's Death Shocked Us All in 2011". MTV News. Retrieved December 26, 2011.
  26. ^ James Montgomery (June 20, 2011). "Ryan Dunn Remembered By 'Jackass' Co-Stars, Fans". MTV News. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  27. ^ Sophie Schillaci (June 23, 2011). "Kings of Leon Salute Ryan Dunn at London Show". Billboard. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  28. ^ Kara Warner (July 1, 2011). "Ryan Dunn Remembered in Tribute Video". MTV News. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
  29. ^ Lauren Indvick (December 15, 2011). "Google Zeitgeist: How the World Googled In 2011". Mashable. Retrieved December 15, 2011.
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