I was taken by surprise this morning when I woke up to learn that Ryan Dunn had been in a fatal car crash. The news was broken (or at least confirmed) by April Margera, the mother of fellow “Jackass” and “CKY” star Bam Margera, on the Preston and Steve radio show. In the beginning, we knew very little other than that he ran his Porsche off of the road, through about 40 yards of trees, and the vehicle burst into flames.
Later, we found out that he had been out drinking (though the Barnaby’s bar manager in West Chester claims that Dunn didn’t appear drunk) and, when jumping behind the wheel, he was immediately putting his life at risk. The accident occurred around 2:30 this morning on PA’s route 322, killing both Dunn and his passenger.
The onslaught came quickly, particularly from film expert Roger Ebert who berated Dunn on Twitter for his irresponsible behavior. As we all know, people drink and drive all the time, constantly putting their lives in danger. It’s no secret that this kind of thing happens all the time. But maybe now that a “Jackass” star has ended his own life, other jackasses will learn from this episode.
I was looking forward to more work from Dunn, including the G4 show “Proving Ground,” which G4 has pulled from the schedule. His death was a tragic and stupid waste; probably amongst the most infuriating and infantile ways to go. And so it is. Ryan Dunn will be missed. #RIPRyanDunn
