BMX legend Dave Mirra died back on February 4th 2016, but the news of his passing still came as a surprise to many yesterday as fans paid tribute to the extreme sport athlete on the anniversary of his death.
Mirra, who also competed in rallycross, committed suicide by a self-inflicted gunshot at age 41, and was found in his car in Greenville, North Carolina by local authorities.
But despite his death having occurred three years ago, many people only realised he had passed away after tributes were paid to him on social media yesterday.
Dave Mirra won 24 X Games medals in BMX Freestyle and other competitions. He also won Best Male Action Sports Athlete ESPY Award in 2015 and retired from BMX riding in 2011. He also competed in motorsports and boxing up until his tragic death in 2016.
Mirra was posthumously diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which some have linked to his suicide.
Dave Mirra did not leave a suicide note but posted a series of Instagram posts on the day he died, one of which read. “Fight to win! We all have
He also left an Instagram post praising his wife Lauren who he described as “his rock” and his last post was a throwback of his high school in Greensville, North Carolina.
Dave Mirra is survived by Lauren Mirra and his two children.