GRINDTV NEWSWIRE-HUNTINGTON BEACH, California/USA (Thursday, November 18, 2010) - On November 2, 2010, the world was shocked and saddened to learn of the unexpected and tragic passing of Andy Irons (HAW), 32.

The following weeks have been filled with reviews and preparations, with ASP working closely with the Irons family.

The Irons Family have released the following statement:

Following a beautiful memorial service on November 14th, 2010 at Andy's beloved Hanalei Bay, the Irons family would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to everyone who has reached out to them from the far corners of the planet.

"Andy's passing was met with the most overwhelming and powerful wave of love and support," said Andy's mother Danielle, adding that the family could not have imagined the range of Andy's impact and influence on people around the world.

"The friendship and concern that has poured in from everywhere has been unimaginable," says Andy's father, Phil, "and we are deeply, deeply grateful. Words are beyond us." Danielle adds, "It's like one big giant hug, arms around you, of comfort."

The entire family wants to thank their friends at Billabong, who were there for the family from the first moment. "Then they orchestrated such a soulful, loving day for the community and for Andy. Andy would have loved it! It was an extraordinary memorial," said Danielle.

The Irons family too wants to recognize the special community of Hanalei, where Andy and his brother Bruce were born and raised on the North Shore, and thank them for extending the aloha spirit in coming together, opening their arms and sharing their generosity "with us and everybody", and in continuing to support the Irons family. "We are still feeling the community's sorrow so deeply. It helps to go through this together," said Andy's father, Phil.

The family would also like to thank the ASP Medical Team for their role at the ASP-sanctioned event at Puerto Rico and want to convey their appreciation to the ASP-approved Rip Curl Pro Search Doctors who treated Andy there. They were professional and did everything they could to take care of Andy's health, says Danielle, on behalf of the family. "I know how stubborn Andy can be, and once he makes up his mind there's no changing it. He was set on coming home."

The ASP completed its preliminary medical review for the Rip Curl Pro Search Puerto Rico several days ago, concluding that the medical staff met and exceeded protocols, offering Andy Irons the best possible care.

A memorial service took place on November 14, 2010 at Pine Trees in Hanalei Bay, Kauai. The service included an honorary paddle-out to pay tribute to his legacy.

There will be a second and closing ceremony to celebrate his life during the start of this year's Pipe Masters.

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

This great little video tribute comes to us via coastalwatch, and its quite touching. There is some epic old and new footage of Andy surfing, as well as some incredible footage from the farewell paddle out on Kauai. Rest in Peace A.I.

Andy Irons was supposed to be playing a spoiler role this month in Hawaii. His plan when he left Puerto Rico earlier this month, was to get home and rest up for the final three events of the season.

The three-time world champion was a huge force on his home turf, winning the prestigious Triple Crown of Surfing four times.

Now we're left wondering what might have been, still trying to find the balance between mourning his loss and celebrating his incredible life.

There are several tributes to Andy out there floating in the internet ether, all of them very moving. But as the Triple Crown got underway the producers of the morning show decided they'd dedicate a special episode to Andy, the same day ceremonies were being held in his honor all over the world.

For the most part, this episode flew under the radar. I hadn't seen it until today. But if you have time (it's an hour long) I recommend you sit and watch. There are incredible flashback segments that will throw you back on the roller coaster ride that was Andy's amazing journey...

By Janna Irons

From the moment you get off the plane and head North, you can feel the mounting energy gradually intensify as you head toward Hanalei. Signs are hung intermittently along the highway: "We love you Andy." "Hanalei loves Lyndie." "Andy: 1978-Forever." "You'll always be our hearts." Blue ribbons are tied around telephone poles and strung from bridges. The closer you get to the epicenter, the more palpable the emotion.

Thousands of people, everyone in Andy's life--family, childhood friends, fans, along with most of the Top 44--came together today to honor Andy...

Click here for full story and photo gallery.

The surf world will undoubtedly never recover from the tragic loss of Andy Irons. We'll never see his effortless and perfect backside tube riding in person again. We'll never hear one of his funny eplanations of what he was feeling in one of his countless HEAVY situations.


What we do have though, is countless video footage of one of the best surfers of all time. And here's his section from Transworld SURF's High 5, his last major part in a video. A performance that has earned him two Surfer Poll nominations for Best Barrel and Best Performance.

Below are parts 1 and 2 of Iron's nominated section. Plus, a description from Juston Cote of Transworld SURF on how they came across the final few clips to earn A.I. the coveted final part of the video:

The "last part" in surf movies is generally reserved for the dude who got the best clips and is meant to send the viewer out of the theater all jacked up and ready to rip. That said, when we began editing High Five, our Andy Irons section was lacking the panache that a surfer of his caliber deserved. We were in a pickle, who was gonna get the last part? Eric Geiselman had some amazing waves, but we really wanted to end the film with Andy... all we were missing were some banger clips.

Two days before the movie was supposed to be finished, a package from Billabong showed up at the office. Hastily opened, a hard drive simply marked "AI Clips" revealed itself. High Five editors Jerry Ricciotti, Steven Schultz, and Blake Kueny were "super butt pumped" as Andy would've said, and the Three Time World Champ instantly had the best part in the movie.

That's just one of the million Andy Irons stories we have, trust us, there are plenty more to come. Rest in peace AI... and send us some clips of you ripping in heaven!







Andy Irons High 5 Part 1 from Blake Kueny on Vimeo.



Andy Iron High 5 Part 2 from Blake Kueny on Vimeo.