Home /
Social media /
News /
Legendary race driver, YouTube star, motorsport icon and family man, Ken Block has died.
LEGENDARY RACE DRIVER, YOUTUBE STAR, MOTORSPORT ICON AND FAMILY MAN, KEN BLOCK HAS DIED.
Ken Block has died. He was 55 years old. It feels kind of surreal to have someone whose whole career you’ve followed, and who you’ve been inspired by and looked up to, die. I won’t lie, I shed a tear when I found out, probably more out of shock. I mean yeah, Ken lived his life at full throttle doing some insane stunts and driving and so of course the odds of an accident are higher than with most people, but we kind of forget that. Being one of the first real YouTube celebrities means that for over 15 years we’ve seen into this man’s life through all the content uploaded across all the different social media platforms, and we’ve seen some of his close calls but have never thought about it being as bad as being killed. The racing and stunts are so well planned and there’s so much safety that we pretty much expect survival no matter what happens. A real false sense of security. Ken still loved to do the adrenalin stuff in his downtime, and that’s when his accident happened.
The accident occurred in Utah's Wasatch County where Ken and a group of friends were out riding snowmobiles on the mountain slopes. Ken broke away from the group and that’s when the accident occurred, on a steep slope when his snowmobile upended and landed on him. A release from the Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office reads: "He was pronounced deceased at the scene from injuries sustained in the accident." So sad.
Ken leaves behind a legacy of note, he achieved so much in his time here, from starting a global clothing brand to competitive rally racing to his legendary Gymkhana series of YouTube videos and everything motorised in between. He’s been an inspiration to countless people in the automotive world, he’s inspired careers and because of what he was able to do he also pushed many other athletes to improve too. Ken leaves behind a wife and three children. Daughter Lia has been in the spotlight over the last 18 months while Ken has been teaching her to drive competitively, and also documenting the build of her first car, which was the last thing he posted to his Instagram. We send our condolences to Ken’s family and friends, our thoughts are with you during this hard time.
Take a look at the last YouTube video that was posted to Ken's channel, a summary of his 2022 race exploits. Take note of the title, it's how the man lived - at full throttle: GO FAST RISK EVERY THANG: The Wild Story of Ken Block’s ’22 Rally Racing Title Chase | Ken Block