Dave Mirra, who held the world record for most X Games medals until 2013, was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound Thursday, police said.
The 41-year-old was discovered inside a truck Thursday afternoon in Greenville, North Carolina. Police said he had been visiting friends in the area before the incident.
Mirra was originally from Chittenango, New York, but moved to Greenville in the 1990s and was influential in turning it into what is now called “Protown” because so many professional BMX riders have come out of the area.
Greenville Mayor Allen Thomas mourned the loss of Mirra in a statement.
“We mourn the loss today of a great friend and wonderful human being who touched the lives of so many around the world with his gift,” Thomas said. “He called Greenville, North Carolina, home and was as humble a guy talking with kids on a street corner about bikes as he was in his element on the world stage. A young life with so much to offer was taken too soon.”
