THERE was an outpouring of shock and grief in the professional surfing community yesterday following the unexpected death of triple world champion Andy Irons.
Irons, 32, withdrew from the world tour event in Puerto Rico this week with a serious illness, amid concerns that he had contracted dengue fever in Portugal last month.
He was en route to his home in Hawaii when he was found dead in a Dallas airport hotel.
It was unclear if he had died from the effects of his illness or from another cause with Hawaii’s Star Advertiser reporting that his death was being investigated as a possible methadone overdose. the newspaper said the Tarrant County medical examiner had found methadone, and other medications, in Irons’s hotel room.
Australian rookie Owen Wright was due to surf against Irons in the first round of the event in Puerto Rico, but said he was not surprised when the triple world champion withdrew. He said both he and Irons had contracted an illness at the tour event in Portugal.
"I almost didn’t turn up for this event myself," Wright said from his hotel room in Puerto Rico. "there had been a bout of this going round from Portugal. it didn’t hit me as a surprise that Andy was sick."
Wright said fellow Australian Chris Davidson, South African Travis Logie and Kelly Slater’s girlfriend Kalani Miller had also been struck down by symptoms including exhaustion, fever and headaches.
"From the symptoms I heard he had, there’s a massive possibility that Andy had a similar thing," Wright said.
Wright said there had been a big storm while the tour was in Portugal, which had washed the local rivers out, which might have increased mosquito activity.
Wright said he hadn’t had his condition diagnosed, but was now seeing a doctor. He said the mood at the event site was one of shock.
"It’s such heavy news," Wright said. "Everyone is really shaken up. Everyone is just speechless. I always looked up to him as a hero. I still do."
Retired former world champion Mark Occhilupo received the news via a phone call from compatriot Joel Parkinson.
"I just broke down," Occhilupo told Fox Sports. "I went and saw my wife and couldn’t stop crying. I’m flying to Hawaii on Saturday, the funeral is probably going to be one of the biggest ones in history because he was loved by everyone.
"He was such a vibrant, lovely person to be around. one of my best mates.
"It’s really, really heart-wrenching."
He said Irons had previously contracted dengue fever on a trip to Bali. Medical experts say the mosquito-borne disease is far more dangerous if contracted a second time.
The most serious haemorrhagic strain has a death rate of up to 20 per cent if left untreated, according to the World Health Organisation.
In Puerto Rico, the Association of Surfing Professionals suspended its tour event yesterday as officials and surfers discussed whether it would be appropriate to continue with the contest.
ASP chief executive Brodie Carr struggled to hold his composure as he described the sense of loss within the close-knit community.
"We’re all deeply, deeply saddened and our thoughts go out to all his family and friends and it’s a sad day for surfing when one of our tribesman and friends has been lost," Carr said.
"(His partner) Lyndie is pregnant and due to give birth to their baby boy in less than a month."
Irons, who grew up on Kauai, Hawaii, won three world titles from 2002-2004, and 20 pro tour events.
He was known for his powerful style, which he combined with a respectable bag of aerial manoeuvres, and was the only surfer to consistently challenge nine-times world champion Kelly Slater in the last decade.