Marc Johnson, a legendary figure in Bay Area skateboard history, died on May 26, according to San Francisco-based skateboarding magazine Thrasher.
Johnson, a professional skateboarder who had many notable sponsorship deals over his career, was 49.
No cause of death was mentioned.
Johnson, who was most directly connected to the San Jose’s celebrated skateboard scene, will be remembered as one of one of the most influential street skaters of recent years.
He inspired countless thousands of young and old riders to try out the new tricks and methods as well as drew even more interested parties to just watch his awe-inspiring skateboarding on YouTube videos.
Word of Johnson’s passing was originally made public via the social media posts from Thrasher Magazine, which were attributed to fellow San Jose skateboard icon Louie Barletta, who turned pro in 2003.
“As I write this, the reality still hasn’t fully set in. It was less than a month ago that Marc came to San Jose to hang out,” Barletta wrote in the post. “He was sober, healthy, and full of life. We had a blast reminiscing about the old days. He seemed genuinely excited about the future. He even extended his ticket by a couple of days so he could explore some of the old haunts around San Jose.
“When it came time to drop him off at the airport, he handed me an envelope. I waited until I got home to open it. Inside was a three-page list of his hopes and dreams for the future. Never in a million years did I imagine that less than a month later, he would be gone.”
Barletta goes on to describe Johnson as “a genius and a tortured soul,” one who “wanted to be remembered for his skateboarding, not for his failures or shortcomings.”
“He was just a poor kid from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, who grew up in a trailer at the end of a dirt road,” Barletta writes. “Yet he made it out, traveled the world and touched so many lives. He will live on through the video parts that nobody can recreate. He gave opportunities to people who might never have had a chance otherwise.
“Without a shadow of a doubt, Marc Johnson was the single most influential person in my life. Everything he did was art. He was endlessly creative and always tried to elevate his friends and everyone around him.”