On October 12, 2016, Dylan Rieder passed away, after a long battle with leukemia. He was 28 years old. He was a professional skateboarder, a model, and so much more.
It’s difficult to put into words what an indelible impression he had on his thousands upon thousands of fans, however one of the most remarkable things is what Dylan was able to do with his 28 years. The world at large often looks to skateboarding to see what’s cool, and skateboarding in turn looked to Dylan. He truly was bigger than the sum of his parts.
Raised in Westminister, California, Dylan started skateboarding at age nine and talent like his simply couldn’t stay hidden for long. As fans, we were able to watch him grow from a boy to a man through photos and videos from Quiksilver, Osiris, TransWorld SKATEboarding, and others. He turned pro at 18 and in 2009, he had the very first trick in the opening sequence for Alien Workshop’s highly anticipated video Mind Field—an impossible that was wrapped and caught so powerfully, it may as well have been an entirely new trick.
“THE WORLD AT LARGE OFTEN LOOKS TO SKATEBOARDING TO SEE WHAT’S COOL, AND SKATEBOARDING IN TURN LOOKED TO DYLAN. HE TRULY WAS BIGGER THAN THE SUM OF HIS PARTS.”
Dissatisfied with the caliber of his Mind Field part, Dylan took it upon himself to immediately film another. The result of this work ethic and dedication became the solo Gravis part—titled simply dylan.—that premiered online in 2010 without any fanfare or hype. In that video, the world was introduced to Mr. Rieder, the man.
This part was watched, rewatched, and devoured since the day it came out, a virtual textbook for how to look like you were born to skateboard. Come to think of it, the “solo part” is yet another trend that you can credit him with.
Notably, during his modeling career he appeared in DKNY’s 2014 ad campaign.
He leaves behind a body of work that is far too short, but is nothing short of inspirational.
Goodbye, Dylan. You made a tremendous impact on the world, and we are fortunate to have known you as fans. Skateboarding will never forget you.
Dylan from FA World Entertainment on Vimeo.
In lieu of sending flowers, the family requests donations be made in Dylan’s memory to Dr. Stephen Forman. Please address checks to; City of Hope, in memo line: to Dr. Stephen Forman for Dylan Rieder.
City of Hope
Attention: Philanthropy
1500 E Duarte Rd.
Duarte, CA 91010
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