Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. December 9, 2010 / 3:53 PM TapouT announced the death of Charles "Mask" Lewis Jr. in a statement and said a memorial service was being planned. Waiting for court to begin, Jeffrey David Kirby, sits in Superior Court in Santa Ana, Friday morning just prior to being sentenced to 9 years in state prison in the 2009 high-speed, street racing crash in Newport Beach that killed Charles Lewis, Jr. A bicycle rider tales a moment to look at the memorial that has been setup at the scene of Charles "Mask" Lewis', founder of TapouT clothing, crash on Jamboree Road, near Eastbluff Drive in Newport Beach, Thursday morning, March 12, 2009. Charles Lewis Jr. (June 23, 1963 - March 11, 2009) was an American businessman, promoter and entertainer. Family members linked to this person will appear here. LEWIS, JR., Charles "Mask" Charles "Mask" Lewis Jr. - founder of the hugely successful MMA apparel brand TapouT- has died at the age of 45. Tapout went on to sponsor famed high-profile MMA fighters and Masks popularity rose parallelly. Festival goers wearing masks of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles during day two of Leeds Festival in Bramham Park, Leeds. I remember something he said when I asked about the future potential of MMA brands: If this is the Yellow Brick Road and Oz is in the distance, were still trying to go up the path to find the Tin Man, Scarecrow and the Lion.. In 2007, Mask and his business partners started to appear in Tapout, a reality series that followed Mask, Dan Caldwell, and Tim Katz as they traveled around the country in a quest for promising mixed martial arts fighters to develop and potentially sponsor. Read Complete Obituary More Celebrity Deaths View Most Recent Celebrity Deaths by Category Politics Movies Business Music Sports Closing arguments begin in double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh, Where things stand in the Alex Murdaugh double murder trial, Explosive found in checked luggage at Pennsylvania airport, feds say. UFC recognized Mask as one of the few pioneers in the sport of mixed martial arts and emphasized the role Mask played in encouraging and developing mixed martial artists with sponsorships. Horror: The remains of the Ferrari being driven by Charles Lewis in Newport Beach, California last March. A system error has occurred. I would just like to thank you for being so passionate, this is a great loss, not just for MMA but for the world. When I heard another kid had some old baseball or football cards, I was on the hunt. Movies. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. In 2009, Lewis was featured in the video game UFC 2009 Undisputed as an unlockable fighter along with "Skyskrape" and "Punkass" all not dressed in standard UFC attire but in TapouT clothes including hats, shirts, and shoes. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. E StockReviewed in the United States on August 4, 2018. I gave the guy a call. Mask influenced so many people in such a positive way that he is owed that, even in death. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. cemeteries found in San Bernardino, San Bernardino County, California, USA will be saved to your photo volunteer list. When they walked into the apartment and Mask said, "this is your new place," Albert was speechless. No, more than a given, actually. Oops, something didn't work. He will go down as an MMA icon who gave his heart and soul to sponsoring the sport he so dearly loved -- MIXED MARTIAL ARTS!!!!! Charles (Mask) Lewis, the colourful co-founder of the popular Tapout Clothing company, died in an early-morning car crash Wednesday in Newport Beach, Calif. http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5hD4Bsxo5f0Sgk4IF6GxQnTDuXaUg "Colorful" and the like is an opinion that needs to be attributed to someone. His dream was to bring his TapouT brand to the public, and he achieved his goal though hard work and dedication. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. Defense attorney Mark Fredrick asked for leniency for Kirby, contending he had never had a client who was more remorseful. (BigBoy33). One thing I do know, something positive will come out of whatever I choose to do with the urns. In 2010, Lewis was also featured in UFC 2010 Undisputed alongside "Skyscrape" and "Punkass". Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. It's him talking about how he got his start. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. Your Stylist: Cropped tops - L.As best stylists for short hair, The chance of a lifetime: Five friends ski the tallest mountain in Los Angeles, Shocking, impossible gas bills push restaurants to the brink of closures, Review: A reimagined Secret Garden fails to flower anew at the Ahmanson Theatre, A $150,000 executive protection dog? But Kirby, who had two prior drunken-driving convictions, registered a .13 blood-alcohol level two hours after the crash, more than 1.5 times the legal limit, and he also had marijuana in his system. LEWIS, Jr., CHARLES "MASK" Charles "Mask" Lewis Jr.- founder of the hugely successful MMA apparel brand TapouT- has died at the age of 45. By Thomas Gerbasi Mar. Before documentary filmmaker Bobby Razak could produce a work that truly captured the life of his late friend Charles "Mask" Lewis, he had to come to terms with betraying him. Its unlikely, Man charged with hiding explosive in suitcase at Pa. airport; Allegiant flight was bound for Florida, Repeat drunken driver convicted of second-degree murder for Orange crash that killed pedestrian, Southern California home sales fall to all-time low, Teacher at Irvines Beckman High School arrested after recording devices found in restroom, Final bones of 50-year-old Laguna Hills mall are coming down, Real snow falls at Disneyland not the fake soapy stuff, Killer keto? He is from USA. He no longer had to be the shy kid from a broken home or the athlete pressured to constantly improve. Both drivers had female passengers and were involved in what witnesses told police was a high speed cat and mouse game down a busy street in Newport Beach, California, in March last year. Alcohol is a major factor in this case, said Orange County Deputy District Attorney Jason Baez. The crash was witnessed by Jonathan Sunshine, a Newport Beach reserve police officer, who was driving a prisoner in a police van to Orange County Jail on Jamboree Road when he saw two sets of headlights approaching fast from the opposite lanes. Are you sure that you want to remove this flower? TapouT announced the death of Charles "Mask" Lewis Jr. in a statement and said a memorial . I was surprised to learn he was a marine, former sheriffs deputy, and star athlete at San Bernardino, Calif. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Wife is shocked after husband of 15 years asks for permission to have an affair: 'I don't know what to do'. Shortly before 1:00 am on March 11, 2009, Lewis died in a high-speed car crash in Newport Beach, California. This would keep his memory alive and they would be displayed with the utmost respect, as they tell a story much bigger than MMA itself. His death was untimely and tragic; the MMA community as a whole lost a good person. Mask is the first non-fighter to be inducted into UFC Hall of Fame. We all want to feel like were David taking on Goliath. For a brief instant, I had met the man behind the Mask. A pioneer in the MMA clothing industry has passed away. [1] His Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale, a race version of the Ferrari 360 Modena collided with a 1977 Porsche before hitting a light pole. "He set the groundwork and the foundation for where it could. [5] I reached out to a couple different people close to Mask to authenticate the coat and hat. Oops, we were unable to send the email. This browser does not support getting your location. based on information from your browser. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. gloves. See About archive blog posts. My friends and I would have small fight parties and we would watch these absolute masterpieces with awe. Lewis was a pioneer in mixed martial arts, which combines wrestling, martial arts and boxing. Mask's Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale crashed with a Porsche, went out of control, and hit a light pole. He was the founder of the TapouT clothing line, a true entrepreneur of MMA, and a colorful personality. Try again later. He will be deeply missed and he will never be forgotten. At one point before I left the Tapout compound in Grand Terrace last August, Lewis sat across from me in the conference room. The tragic death of Mask in the winter of 2009 led to the demise of Tapout as we knew them in the MMA world. There was a lot of debris that went everywhere.. Her March 11 began as every one of them has since her brother's death three years ago. He is set to be sentenced Feb. 4. I was also shown old news articles about a lawsuit filed by Masks sister against the co-owners of Tapout regarding Masks ashes. Include gps location with grave photos where possible. Charles 'Mask' Lewis Jr., founder of the popular multi-million dollar MMA clothing line and television show TapouT, was killed on the morning of March 11, 2009, when his Ferrari collided. 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Jeffrey David Kirby, is lead in handcuffs from Superior Court in Santa Ana, Friday morning after being sentenced to 9 years in state prison in the 2009 high-speed, street racing crash in Newport Beach that killed Charles Lewis, Jr. $1 Million - $5 Million. Released September 2011, the film Warrior was dedicated "In loving memory of our friend, Charles 'Mask' Lewis Jr.". Dan The Beast Severn, David Tank Abbott, Guy Mezger you name it, we tried calling them on most occasions they would actually give us a few moments of their time. Seeing how he acted, and reading about him through various websites, I feel he wouldn't want us to cry and be depressed (although it's hard not to feel that way). Above is the link to his final interview before his death. His female companion was thrown clear and survived with multiple bone fractures. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. What happened to Mask from TapOut? The responsible party for the accident already had to manage felony drunk driving accusations, and in this case, he drove a white Porsche that killed the ultimate fighter. You truly loved mixed martial arts, and it showed. As per reports, Mask was slated to portray the role of the fight promoter in Warrior prior to his death in 2009. These urns have inspired me to research the man behind the Mask, Charles Lewis, Jr. He became known as Mask because he painted stripes on his face and wore a top hat, and as well known in MMA circles as many of the fighters. Find Charles "Mask" Lewis; stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. It turned out it was the uncle of the seller that posted the ad and he directed me to the actual seller. He was always quick with an analogy. Parties and we would watch these absolute masterpieces with awe news articles about a filed! Hard work and dedication Mask is the link to his death was untimely tragic. 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