The Tragic Story of a BMX Legend 

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I was reluctant to watch this as Dave was a friend. In fact, that's me in the red shirt at :58 seconds in. Dave was one of the most special people I've ever met. I miss him. I still run the gold pedals on my bike to honor him. His death is still tragic but when I think of him, that's about the last thing that comes to mind.

It's hard to explain what goes on in our minds. Iv been dealing with depression for the last 10+yrs. It's hard for me to watch other people be normal and happy and wish my mind would work the same. But I think we all are born very different and our minds work differently. Hearing this story really hit home, as I to get down and have mood swings. It's hard to explain and even harder not to feel this way. Comes to the point when you just want it to stop at whatever cost.

Few celebrities or famous people make me genuinely sad when they pass but every once in awhile they hit me harder than I would expect (Heath Ledger, Paul Walker, Irfan Khan for example). Of all those celebrities that have come and gone through none hit me harder than hearing the news that miracle boy was dead and gone. When baseball didn't pan out because of nerve damage in my pitching arm, I luckily found the x-games and Dave Mirra to give me a new dream and hobby and I can honestly say that the microsecond of peace I find hitting a dirt jump just right has carried me through some of the darker times in life. If you're out there somewhere Dave, I just want to say thanks for always giving it your all and showing so many of us there's no such thing as impossible. R.I.P. Miracle Boy.

Dave was the reason me and my buddy Mike started riding BMX. Good times.

Dave was huge to me. I have suffered a ton of injuries from bikes, snowboards, climbing, fighting and general good times. As you age this stuff never goes away. It is permenant. Thank you for spending the time to create this video and share the story of a true legend.

Hey dude, first time watcher. Thanks, I never dealt with his death. I was a skater but I loved Dave for being down with skaters hard af. I learned a lot from him and his interviews as a teen. I had my moments of glory and I too had to leave skating because I cannot take slams anymore. Im living with an illness but I cycle. That was my void filler and first love to be honest. I played Daves game religiously on dreamcast. I absolutely have to thank him for those music choices.

I was born in ’80, lived rural with no pavement to ride skateboards so bmx was it! We rode thousands of miles on our little 20” bikes, built jumps, crashed and built bigger jumps. We had legs of steel. We saved our allowance to get a bike magazine and then read it over and over until we could afford a new rag. Dave was one of our idols, he was so good yet came across as a decent dude in spite of his fame. He really did influence so many kids in my generation.

He was a big part of my childhood. Loss of a total legend and a genuinely positive influence for us riders.

I grew up skateboarding, but even skateboarders loved and respected Dave Mirra! Which is something rear to see from the skateboarding world. He really was that awesome of a guy!

I was that teenager in the mid 90’s that got into BMX because of Dave. I was so shocked when he passed away. Rest In Peace Dave.

Dave Mirra didn't just raise the bar, he set it. Great video remembering a legend of the sport.

One of my childhood heros that will live on forever. Rip Dave

Thank you for this. I had bad injuries on my head. With dirt biking. Makes you really appreciate life and your loved ones.

I was a BMXer in the 90s and Dave Mirra was our Tony Hawk. A living legend at the time.

Dave was one of the main reasons I got into BMX back when I was 12/13. I'm now 35 and still at it. He inspired a generation and brought so much progression to the sport. For that, I will be forever grateful and can now share BMX times with my own son. Peace out.

I had the dave Mirra x games poster on my wall as a kid. Loved riding bmx. Want to pass it on to my son . Dave was a inspiration, he made things that seemed impossible real. Thanks legend

The transitions in life can be hard for many. My life revolved around lifting weights, playing football and basketball. Depression and loss can set in. Well you get old so now I put the time into my kids. Start new hobbies...

I'm rewatching the Inferno season that he hosted rn and while he wasn't great at hosting back in 2005, it's sad to watch this knowing he's now been gone for so long.

there has been very few famous people that I cried when they died that i can name in less that finds on a hand and mirra was one of them. i battle with serious mental health problems and when he died it really hit home just like chester bennington from lp(literally caused me to have a manic episode and ended up in the hospital)

RIP brother. It’s a shame he is gone but we will never forget him. Lots of love to his family!

My first hero! The miracle boy! Remember meeting him at a demo at 688 skatepark here in Florida, which you can see with the no hand 720 from 6:02-6:06. growing up I raced bmx and Mirra and nyquist signed my racing jersey and for that whole season I didn't wash my jersey, those signatures gave me my good juju lol

As a veteran when you join the service, much of the "real world "activities don't exist. we occasionally get to see TV events like world X games. etc. as youngster loved BMX, as I took to many risks and suffered many accidents, I felt this was not my cup of tea, but I enjoyed watching other perform amazing stunts tricks, this young man was awesome person, RIP. thanks for telling the story of great person. 1992/2012 real life event are blur. as for any time while serving on active duty/

I just want to give a quick thanks to this awareness video! My GF just yesterday ask what’s going on with you lately! And she used the words my moods have been eratic. I too am a bmx bike rider. I have had many concussions, was hit by a car fracturing my skull, I was then spun under the car and ran over by the back tire, and then by the front tire of the car behind it, breaking most of my ribs. I’m not at all saying I have this but I’d like to atleast be checked out for this. And also I believe the accident Mirra sustained the injury in the x-games was not during practice but during his first run of the vert prelims.

Here In UK Scotland we had a world class bmxer from Dundee area. Late 80s his name was Scott Carroll. He took his own life at a point where everything seemed so possible for him to reach the top. Such a loss for all involved in the BMX and skate scene. I'm a skater. Still at 48 haha.

thank you for this video, Dave was a huge part of my younger years.

Loved Dave mirra on the PlayStation when I was 15 He was an x games legend. RIP Brother 🙌🏻

I grew up in the Syracuse area. I remember seeing him riding around his community all the time.

As a teen that grew up in early 2000, Mirra was my idol. Absolutely crushed me when I heard he had taken his own life. Truly a very sad story. Get help if you need it. Don't wait.

Late 80s 90s lived on my bmx skate parks dave and matt were huge influence great times

I was a young kid playing DM BMX on ps1 I never followed the sport I was a kid just wanting to play a game but Respect and RIP to this man

He was just too good! Hoffman was the reason I started riding BMX. Mirra was the reason I stopped

truly a tragic story..I grew up watching Dave.

RIP Miracle Man Mirra..You were a cool cat and the world is still cruddier and even getting more with you being gone.LoudLove 🔊🔊🔊💜💜💜

RIP Dave Mirra. Such a tragic loss. Such an influential BMXer and athlete. 🙏🏼

You never played the original?! Bro! That was my childhood!

I met Dave when I was 14 back in Vegas, we both had physical therapy at the same place. There was nothing bigger for a 14 year old boy.

Dave is one of my hero’s

RIP good sir you are and always will be a legend.

He wasn't cocky at all, that was probably his best quality

Wait, when did Dave Mirra die? I remember he was really popular in my Junior high & High school years. I had no idea dude died.

Wow, I had no idea he passed. Tragic.

All I know is playing dave mirra bmx on the dreamcast introduced me to a lot of cool music

I didn't realize he had CTE. That makes perfect sense 😞

Holy shit! I had no clue Dave Mira passed away! 🤦🏾‍♂️

definitely was hurt when this happened.. rest easy Dave 🙏🏾

R.I.P. Dave.💜

What a Great Loss to our BMX Family. If we only could have helped you more.

I bet he had head aches often. Waking up to a head ache every day would make me want to leave too.

Remember the Legend

RIP that was a bad day… he was a great athlete

Amazing video

Dave Mirra XXX game was the greatest game all time

Didn't know he passed R.I.P. Had a Haro myself in my teens back in the day Matt Hoffman and Mirra were my heroes truly sad...

RIP legend

RIP Dave

Dave was the Goat

I grew up playing dave mira bmx

I had no clue Dave was even dead. That’s crazy.

Still have a raw frame Haro Dave Mira bike in like new condition. Not sure what to do with it. Lol

GOAT

i did know he was dead untill this, I was in hospital with brainjury myself for 9 months came out at the end ish of 2015 and was a mess myself, sad to here of him to best wishes to his familly

90% of active boys of GEN X have this..Car wrecks, horses, farming, 4 wheelers, moto, bikes, fights, boxing, football etc etc etc etc.. We all been TKO'ed many times..

Bought a mirraco bmx bike back in the day,I wonder if the company is still around.Rip Dave

I’m a retired professional motocross racer. I sustained a traumatic brain injury & a broken neck some years back. The cumulative trauma I’ve sustained over the years both in BMX Racing & Motocross racing has definitely left me with CTE...I have a lot more to say about this…but I’ve already been here typing out a comment for the last 45 minutes & I deleted most of it because it’s just too much…

Great video

I was a big Dave Mirra fan, and I had no idea what happened to him. That’s incredibly sad. Thank you for making this video.

love this dude. I was so shocked when i heard he committed suicide. Shows you never know what someone is going through. Check on your homies!!

Not much gets me teared up but holy crap Dave Mirra and Ryan Nyquist were my heroes growing up. Every time I hear about Dave passing it's like getting kicked in the nuts. RIP Dave Mirra.

Dave lived in orange county CA where i grew up. He use to spend hours in a church parking lot on his bike doing amazing tricks. My friends and i would watch him for hours swindling on his bike with tricks that were just so cool. He was always so nice to us and never ever did he shy away when we showed up. Hes made history in the bmx world. What a tragedy. My condolences to his family. Ill never forget watching him doing those insane tricks in that church parking lot. RIP Dave ❤

If you’re interested in reading more into CTE and mental health/suicide, look up Tyler Hillinksi or Hillinski’s Hope. He was quarterback at my college and took his life out of nowhere after the season ended. Still breaks my heart to think about

I loved Dave Mirra growing up, but sadly never heard of his passing until watching this video. we lost a legend. rip.

Dave was my idol growing up. Hearing about his death put me into a horrible depression.. the people i looked up to were dropping like flys.. please if you need help talk to somebody. Never be ashamed to ask for help

He was such an amazing athlete and human being, thanks for featuring him.

Wow I wasn't ready for this hard hitter. I'm from Greenville as well and I actually coached his daughter when she was doing gymnastics. I remember when we got the news it was such a shock because we had all just seen him. He was such a down to earth guy and I always admired the "be a dad not a fad" moto he had going, and it showed in how his girls acted in practices and camps. But it still is so tragic and breaks my heart every time I think about it. I hope Lauren and the girls are doing well and remembering his legacy as an athlete and a father. RIP Dave, you literally put my hometown on the map! Thanks for sharing his story!

I was also born in 74, grew up a BMX guy myself, was always a big fan of Dave and his passing was very sad years ago!! Rest easy bro!! 🙏🏽

I'm 40. I grew up riding 20" bikes, Hoffman's and SnMs mostly, but Mirra was a hero of mine from the beginning. I'm still absolutely crushed for him and his family all these years later. This couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. RIP Dave!! We love you always and forever!!!

Dave Mirra was a HUGE influence to me. I loved riding BMX when growing up and I watched his video “Miracle Boy and Nyquist” on repeat. After watching his video I’d call my cousin and we’d go to the woods to make some jumps or we’d try to find some low ledges to practice our grinds. R.I.P Miracle Boy

RIP big Dave, even as a racer in the 80's we were all in awe of you!!!

You're banging out the videos at the moment and they're all excellent. Keep up the good work.

I was into skateboarding when Dave Mirra was really popular but even in the skateboarding world he was known as a legend 🔥

Mirra's double backflip is the reason I found out about X-Games and subsequently that made me find out about other extreme sports and other competitions for those sports, up until that point I was a 9 or 10 year old kid that only knew about skateboarding and BMX racing. We owe the Miracle Boy a lot 🙏❤

As someone who spent the last 2 decades doing extreme sports than having to slow down or stop due to injuries I can attest to the mental toll that it takes. This is without doing it professionally and no where close to the level that Dave did, so I can't imagine the mental turmoil he had to deal with coming to terms with the fact that he could never again be what he spent his entire life building himself to be.

My friend did a 30ft gap to huge manual on a massive sub box at Hoffman's CFB. No one at the contest attempted this line. Somehow word got to mirra and a few weeks later mirra did my buddies line but had to throw in a barspin to one up him. It was also featured in ride bmx. The guy was one of the most competitive people ever

That's so weird, I went on a Mirra binge last night for over an hour and today you upload this...Quality stuff as per usual dude.

It’s crazy how Dave Mirra died in 2016 then Chester Bennington died in 2017 2 legends gone but never forgotten

It's such a sad story man.. He is a Legend!! RIP Dave Mirra

Knew it was Dave before I even clicked. He was a really humble guy. And great for bmx. I met him at Woodward when I was a kid. They did a demo and it was running longer than it was supposed to. He still took time to meet fans and sign autographs. You never know what someone is going through until it's too late. RIP to a legend.

I was given the nickname "Mirra" from neighborhood friends as a child for sending gaps with the older kids. I didn't realize he passed... let alone went thru all of this. You will always be remembered Dave Mirra R.I.P

I get all teared up everytime I think about the World losing such an amazingly talented master of his trade. I still wish he could gotten the help and support he needed to overcome the urge that was acted upon.

My heart sank when I heard about Dave. I was into bmx and freestyle growing up. Matt Hoffman was the guy I tried to emulate growing up riding. I was born in 1974, so Dave was someone I used as inspiration after my near fatal car accident in 1993 to keep moving forward. I figured if those guys could continue after those huge wrecks, I could too. I’m not even going to attempt to say I know what Dave was going through, but I’ve had my share of head injuries. I was medically retired from my job in 2013 and on full disability in 2019. Partly due to all the injuries I’ve had over the years (the car accident was the worse) but mostly due to the head injuries. I’ve had 21 surgeries since 1993 and I need a lot more. I’ve had numerous people who’ve known me for years tell me I’m not the same person I was before the head injury I had while at work in 2009. My wife and kids noticed me changing but they didn’t know what was happening. It’s been a long road, but I have a lot more to travel before I’m done here. I just encourage anyone who has had a head injury to not take it lightly.

RIP Dave Mirra. True legend. Wish we saw more pro's wearing helmets these days, to set an example for the younger generations. Stuff is no joke.

I grew up riding freestyle bmx, Dave Mirra was someone I always admired, along with Ryan Nyquist. Such a honour to watch him in the x games. Forever the GOAT.

I didn’t know him personally but his cousin and mine were married. My cousin sadly passed away during surgery. I remember Dave was a legend and anyone who knew him said nothing but good things about him.

This story really hits home for me as I've followed Dave's career since he was very young, but I've ALSO had a very similar life filled with very similar accidents and head injuries. I had an accident in '00 that forever changed my life and I've been a totally different person ever since. The majority of people don't get what ALOT of us with major head trauma go through on a daily basis, or how just 1 of our concussions changed the way our brains worked.. I have felt like I have been living in someone else's body and life for the last 22 years or since my accident where I broke my neck in several places, all by ribs on one side, my right wrist, right shoulder was septated and destroyed, severed nerves going to my Deltoid so lost full use of right arm plus the head injury. There's times I could just scream because I wished it never happened and wished the old me was still here and wished I felt normal again.. It's an everyday struggle.

Mans grinding out videos

Fucking heartbreaking. RIP Dave, we loved you man. CTE has taken too many now.

What a legend we lost 😭 I grew up 7 years behind him. Watched all the X games he was in from the beginning. Bought the first Dave mirra BMX game on playstation, and wanted to be just like Dave. Sometimes at BMX parks people would think I was him because I had a shaved head and looked similar. I was honored. Now listening to this story by some guy that has no real clue who Dave Mirra is makes me wonder why someone in his circle didn't do this story. It was a timeline story, and nothing more. I want to hear the story leading up to his suicide from people who were the closest to him. He deserves a good documentary about his life and achievements.

Head trauma is no joke!!! I knew a guy from my high school who was projected to be one of the best wrestlers in the country, if not the world. He also played football. When he was in college, his head injuries kept getting worse and worse. He ended up committing suicide on campus in a trash dumpster bc he didnt want anyone finding him like that. So sad when anyone commits suicide but especially sad when its people that had a big future ahead of them.

Man, i remember the good ole days of X-Games! Those BMX riders did things on a bike i never even thought were possible? Dave Mirra was super talented! I even had his video game on the Sega Dreamcast and played it a ton! I was so shocked when i heard about his passing.