Charles Lewis, Also Known as Mask From Tapout, Dies After Car Crash by Luke Thomas on Mar 11, 2009 3:45 PM EDT in News 48 comments
It appears he may have died in this car accident. Sources on the UG say they've confirmed Mask's death here and here. More to come.
From the LA Times:
A bizarre car crash in Newport Beach involving two luxury cars early this morning left one person dead, a second injured, a third arrested for gross vehicular manslaughter and a fourth person was detained by police long enough to sober up.
A Newport Beach Police Department officer allegedly witnessed the wreck and saw a red Ferrari and a white Porsche "spinning out of control" on Jamboree Road between Bison Avenue and East Bluff Drive at 12:57 a.m., Newport Beach Lt. Craig Fox said. The Ferrari "hit the curb and then collided with a pole." The Porsche came to a stop at the scene for a few seconds and then sped away, Fox said.
"It was terrible. It was extensive damage to the vehicle," Fox said, adding that the Ferrari appeared to have split in half.
An unidentified man in the Ferrari was pronounced dead. A woman in the car was ejected during the accident and taken to a hospital, where she was in stable condition, Fox said. He said police have not yet determined which one was driving and which one was the passenger.
UPDATE: Tracy Lee of CombatLifestyle.com is saying Dan, also known as "Punkass", sent her a text message that confirms Mask did, in fact, pass away as a result of this car accident.
UPDATE II: MMA Mania says Mauro Ranallo confirned the news on air today.
On behalf of everyone at Bloody Elbow, I send my most heartfelt condolences to the families involved including the TapouT family. A true salt of the earth, from-the-bottom-up small business entrepreneur who relied on hard work, dedicated to a vision and perseverence to create the company of his dreams. Aside from Dana White, it is hard to think of another person in the MMA industry as dedicated to the sport, their business, their craft and their supporters as Mask. I did not care for the costume theatrics, but there is no denying he and his company's contributions to the fighters, fans and sport of MMA. Rest in peace, Mask.
---I sell his brand and have met him, he was a very cool guy!
very sad !
It appears he may have died in this car accident. Sources on the UG say they've confirmed Mask's death here and here. More to come.
From the LA Times:
A bizarre car crash in Newport Beach involving two luxury cars early this morning left one person dead, a second injured, a third arrested for gross vehicular manslaughter and a fourth person was detained by police long enough to sober up.
A Newport Beach Police Department officer allegedly witnessed the wreck and saw a red Ferrari and a white Porsche "spinning out of control" on Jamboree Road between Bison Avenue and East Bluff Drive at 12:57 a.m., Newport Beach Lt. Craig Fox said. The Ferrari "hit the curb and then collided with a pole." The Porsche came to a stop at the scene for a few seconds and then sped away, Fox said.
"It was terrible. It was extensive damage to the vehicle," Fox said, adding that the Ferrari appeared to have split in half.
An unidentified man in the Ferrari was pronounced dead. A woman in the car was ejected during the accident and taken to a hospital, where she was in stable condition, Fox said. He said police have not yet determined which one was driving and which one was the passenger.
UPDATE: Tracy Lee of CombatLifestyle.com is saying Dan, also known as "Punkass", sent her a text message that confirms Mask did, in fact, pass away as a result of this car accident.
UPDATE II: MMA Mania says Mauro Ranallo confirned the news on air today.
On behalf of everyone at Bloody Elbow, I send my most heartfelt condolences to the families involved including the TapouT family. A true salt of the earth, from-the-bottom-up small business entrepreneur who relied on hard work, dedicated to a vision and perseverence to create the company of his dreams. Aside from Dana White, it is hard to think of another person in the MMA industry as dedicated to the sport, their business, their craft and their supporters as Mask. I did not care for the costume theatrics, but there is no denying he and his company's contributions to the fighters, fans and sport of MMA. Rest in peace, Mask.
---I sell his brand and have met him, he was a very cool guy!
very sad !
