Dave Mirra: A great dude I knew with a tragic end

Maybe the name doesn't ring a bell because he wasn't famous in just all circles. But he is likely the best BMX vert ramp rider of all time. He held the record for most X Games medals in BMX freestyle. He also got a medal in every single X Games from the year they started. He had multiple video games made about him, had his own Adidas shoe, was on the Tonight Show and the Dave Letterman show, hosted a couple of MTV series, and was even featured in an episode of "Punkd." So yeah, people knew him.

He was also my friend.

not a bad looking fella either

The special thing about Dave, other than the obvious things like being the best at something that is already awesome is that he was a really nice guy. He was famous and yet he spent a lot of time hanging out with normal people... like me for example. I was never involved in the BMX circuit, i wasn't rich, i wasn't famous, i didn't even grow up with the guy and therefore he felt obligated to hang out with me. I was just a guy that happened to live in the same town as him and he never let his fame go to his head. I found that very cool about the guy. He was actually very shy.

In Greenville, North Carolina, there isn't much in the way of international things to get excited about. It has a medium sized college that used to be good at football (they are frustratingly bad now) and the population is too small for any real concerts to come to and there isn't even a big enough airport to really fly anywhere. Just not much happens there.

Dave could have left us all after becoming the best at BMX. He was rich. He had A-list celebrities inviting him to parties in Hollywood, the world loved him and all he wanted to do was hang out with us in pokey little Greenville.

he is credited with inventing many moves. This is called "superman"

I was a bartender at a local pizzeria and bar that was quite popular with college students. Dave would come in there just like any other customer, often times he would come in alone. There were some instances where he would have a massive entourage of fellow bikers but for the most part, it appeared as though he didn't want to be treated differently because of who he is. He would often try to conceal his appearance - frequently wearing hats and pulling them low and he NEVER wore any biker stuff to give away his identity.

I'll never forget one night that he was at the bar and tried to start up a conversation with a girl next to him. She was rude to him and blew him off (it's a college town, it happens to all of us,) Dave was cool about it, and embarassed like anyone would be, he never blew his cover or said something douchey like "don't know you who I am?" He just took it on the chin like all of us that have ever faced rejection.

he was extremely shy about this photo shoot, and was embarrassed about the advert

He was also incredibly generous. He would routinely just pay for everyone in the bar... food, drinks, everything. He would just tell me to "clear everyone's tab" and i would do so. He didn't make an announcement, he didn't want recognition, he would just pay, get up, shake hands with his pals and the staff, and go. He later donated one of his bikes that he had competed on to the bar... It was displayed with pride in the bar for many many years next to a signed poster.

Speaking of which. There was one year that i was having financial problems and Christmas was coming up. I needed gifts but had no money. No, i didn't ask Dave for money, i never even mentioned the financial problems because I am sure he would have immediately given me cash... not what i was looking for and I am not that kind of person....

I asked Dave if I could get him to personalize some posters for me. He invited me by the bike shop the next day and provided the posters and personalized every single one. I don't know if any of the people I gave those to still have them, or if you did what you should have done and framed it, but that is probably going to be worth some money if it isn't already. It now occurs to me that Dave would just hang out at the bike shop, with the staff, talking about just whatever. It wasn't a promotional event, he wasn't being paid, he just wanted to hang out at the bike shop and talk about normal stuff.

He donated a lot of his time and money into building the BMX scene in Greenville. There are now massive training parks with some of the best gear in the world because of him. Greenville is now home to over 20 pro BMX riders and is referred to as "protown" in the BMX world.

The world needs more people like Dave. I mean, to just be kind to everyone.... why can't more people be like that? Why can't I be like that. Maybe i should be

I think if i was to strike it super rich, it would be tough for the fame to not go to my head a little bit. It never happened with Dave. He was just an incredibly kind soul. It is just so tragic how it ended and I am sure there are many people that knew him that feel a tinge of guilt for not helping him or even knowing that he needed help.

Dave committed suicide on February 4th, 2016. I couldn't believe the news when i heard it. I had already been overseas for a long time and hadn't spoken to him in years - we weren't best buds or anything but that was what was so special about Dave. You didn't need to be best buds for him to be nice to you. He is certainly a lot kinder than I am.

I can't believe there was a sad person on the inside of the always funny, happy-seeming, generous, exterior that he presented to all his friends. I hope that people can remember the good things about him because he was truly a great dude.