Danny Bearer, a pioneer and Hall of Famer in the sport of skateboarding in the mid-1960s, was found dead of heart failure in his Santa Monica apartment on Sunday evening, September 27. He was 59. Danny was known for his fluid, flashy style on the old clay wheels that ushered in the sport.
At 14, Danny was selected as an original member of the Hobie Surf and Skateboard team when it began in Dana Point. The Hobie Team toured the U.S. in the summer of 1964, staging exhibitions with tricks and stunts in Texas, New York, and all along the eastern seaboard, performing for crowds, many of whom had never seen skateboards before.
Danny became the first International Skateboard Champion when he won the initial competition in Anaheim in 1965.’He then achieved the rank of 17th in the world of surfing, competing in local beach contests up and down the California coast into the early ’70s.’He was rewarded for his exploits when he was inducted into the Skateboard Hall of Fame in Simi Valley.
