Andy Irons

Surfing World Mourns the Death of Andy Irons JAYMES SONG, The Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — The unexpected and mysterious death of surfing champion Andy Irons has left the tight-knit surfing world saddened and stunned. From the waters of Puerto Rico to his home state of Hawaii, tributes poured out for the three-time world champion and soon-to-be father, who was found dead in his hotel bed Tuesday in the Dallas area. A police report released Wednesday said the prescription drugs Xanax, an anti-anxiety medication, and the sleeping aid Ambien were found in Irons' hotel room. There were no signs of trauma and foul play. Tarrant County Medical Examiner Nizam Peerwani said a ruling on the cause of death could take several weeks, pending the completion of lab tests. Police were called when Irons did not answer his wake-up call and was found by hotel workers, who went to check on him. Irons was on his back with his bed covers and pillows neatly set, according to police. He had checked into the hotel Monday morning. Irons was on a layover en route to his home on Kauai. He was returning from Puerto Rico, where he was supposed to compete in the 2010 Rip Curl Pro Search. However he withdrew Sunday, telling tournament organizers that he had become ill during an event in Portugal. The 32-year-old surfer won world championships in 2002, '03 and '04, and was a four-time winner of the prestigious Vans Triple Crown of Surfing. Irons was making a strong comeback after taking last year away from surfing. He also was looking forward to being a father. His wife, Lyndie, is expecting the couple's first child in December. Professionally, Irons was a fierce competitor and known for his rivalry with nine-time world champion Kelly Slater. Out of the water, Irons was remembered as a humble person who loved Hawaii. He also was intensely devoted to his family, friends and fans. "Andy was incredible. I think he was a person that always wore his heart on his sleeve. He didn't try to impress anyone. He was just all about what he wanted to do. He was an amazing competitor," Australian surfer Mick Fanning said. Irons was revered on Kauai, along with his younger brother, Bruce, also a pro surfer. Irons' father taught him to surf on the North Shore, where he was married three years ago. In a 2002 interview with The Associated Press, the day he won his first title, Irons said being a champion wouldn't change him as a person. And friends say that was true. "I'm totally the same person. I'm just a Kauai boy with a title now," Irons said. In Puerto Rico, more than 130 surfers along the island's north coast paddled out Wednesday to clasp hands and form a circle as tradition dictates to honor a surfer who dies. Fanning threw flowers into the middle as others cheered and splashed before they broke off one by one to catch a wave in honor of Irons. "We're a surfing family," Fanning said in a statement. "We're all hurting right now." The Association of Surfing Professionals said it would suspend competition again Thursday out of respect for Irons and expected the 2010 Rip Curl Pro Search to resume Friday. Slater was among those who paddled out. The surfers grabbed their boards with one hand and clutched bright yellow flowers with their other as they shuffled quietly through the sand and entered the water. "Although he and I butted heads a lot a few years ago, I have so many good memories of Andy and we have become pretty good friends since," Slater said in a statement. "We're just baffled that he's gone." In Hawaii, a surf tournament was held on Sunset Beach with 20- to 30-foot waves pounding the North Shore. The mood was somber with some grief-stricken surfers pulling out of the event. "I paddled out this morning with a lei to put in the water and it hit home again. It makes you want to do it for him and be the animal that he was in the water, but at the same time you know that there's a piece of surfing that's not replaceable," friend Rainos Hayes said. "There's only one Andy Irons, and he was it." Meanwhile, a flood of messages were posted online. "RIP buddy you will always be in our hearts," tweeted Sunny Garcia, a former world champion from Hawaii. Irons' family released a statement thanking the surfer's friends and fans and requesting privacy "so their focus can remain on one another during this time of profound loss." ___ Danica Coto in Puerto Rico, Linda Stewart Ball and Diana Heidgerd in Dallas contributed to this report. __________________________ Foul play ruled out in Andy Irons' death The Associated Press DALLAS (AP) — A Texas county medical examiner has ruled out trauma and foul play in the death of surfing champion Andy Irons. Irons was found dead Tuesday in a hotel room at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport during a layover en route to his home on Kauai. He was returning from Puerto Rico, where he was to compete in the 2010 Rip Curl Pro Search. He withdrew citing an illness he contracted in Portugal. Tarrant County Medical Examiner Nizam Peerwani (NEE'-zahm peer-WAH'-nee) said Wednesday the cause and manner of death are pending due to completion of lab tests, which could take several weeks. The 32-year-old surfer claimed the world championship in 2002, '03 and '04, and was a four-time winner of the prestigious Vans Triple Crown of Surfing. His wife, Lyndie, is expecting the couple's first child in December. _________________________________________________________ JAYMES SONG, The Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — Former three-time world surfing champion Andy Irons died just days after telling tournament organizers in Puerto Rico he had become ill during an event in Portugal. Phil Irons, the surfer's father, confirmed his 32-year-old son's death Tuesday. The cause was not immediately known. Andy Irons' wife, Lyndie, is expecting the couple's first child in December. Irons was found dead Tuesday morning in a hotel room in the Dallas area during a layover en route to his home on Kauai. He was returning from Puerto Rico, where he was to compete in the 2010 Rip Curl Pro Search. He withdrew citing an illness he contracted in Portugal. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner was performing an autopsy Wednesday to determine the cause of death. Irons claimed the world championship in 2002, '03 and '04, and was a four-time winner of the prestigious Vans Triple Crown of Surfing. He was well known in the surfing world for his rivalry with nine-time world champion Kelly Slater. Irons was revered on his home island of Kauai, along with his younger brother Bruce, also a pro surfer. Irons was raised and learned to surf on the North Shore, where he was married three years ago. Billabong, one of his sponsors, had a tribute on its website, calling Irons one of the "greatest surfers of our time." "More than that, he was a much loved son, a devoted husband and a soon-to-be father. The thoughts of all Billabong employees worldwide are with wife Lyndie and Andy's family at this most devastating time," the company said. Irons' wife is scheduled to give birth to a son next month. The tribute page includes a video clip of Irons talking about making a comeback and fighting "inner demons." Employees at the Grand Hyatt Hotel DFW Airport found the body and called Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport police at 9:44 a.m. Tuesday. Public Safety officials said the guest had checked in Monday and had died of unknown causes. Irons was expected to compete against two Australian surfers in his first heat Saturday in Puerto Rico, but didn't show up. Rip Curl officials announced his withdrawal Sunday. Irons was scheduled to compete in the 2010 Vans event, which begins next week in Hawaii. "The thing that I think many of us appreciated the most about Andy was that he was an incredibly real person," Triple Crown spokeswoman Jodi Wilmott said. "Where a lot of champions in sports and celebrities become very guarded and you just wonder sometimes if you're really seeing who they are, you've got Andy Irons 100 percent of the time." Wilmott said Irons was a passionate person and an incredibly competitive athlete. "He reveled in competition and in stepping up to the plate and I think that's something in sport that anybody can admire," she said. The Billabong website also had a video of Irons talking about the first wave he ever caught. "I thought right then, 'This is the coolest thing in the world.' ... I literally will never forget that wave," Irons said. Irons' family released a statement thanking the surfer's friends and fans and requesting privacy "so their focus can remain on one another during this time of profound loss." ___ Online: Billabong: http://www.billabong.com/us/ ___ AP writers Danica Coto in Puerto Rico and Terry Wallace in Dallas contributed to this report.