News
11/03/10 - TapouT: One year on from Mask's death, the crew reflect
Today marks the one-year anniversary of Charles ‘Mask’ Lewis, TapouT co-founder and MMA icon. Lewis passed away following a car accident in Malibu twelve months ago and his sudden death sent shockwaves through the MMA world.
A pioneer and visionary with a genuine love for the sport and the fighters who make it possible, Lewis’ loss was keenly felt by everyone who had contact with him. Overnight turning from a successful trio to a shell-shocked duo, fellow TapouT crew members ‘Punkass’ and ‘Skyscrape’ were left to carry the torch and move forward with the dream that they and Lewis had shared.
Understandably, March 11th holds no joy for the TapouT crew and for the remaining pair today has been one of reflection and remembrance. But Punkass and Skyscrape are on the road touring this month and keeping busy has turned out to be the best way to deal with a dark day. Fighters Only spent some time with Skyscrape earlier today and he shared some of the thoughts that were on his mind.
“I had originally thought that today would be just like any other day - oh was I wrong. There is no more than ten minutes that goes by that I don’t think about Charles. He affected - and infected - so many people’s lives for the better. So what myself and Punkass decided to do was enjoy the day together instead of just being down and sitting in our hotel rooms. And we are getting to spend a significant day with Damacio Page, who was also close to Charles.” he said.
“ I haven’t been able to check Twitter or even my phone for all the texts to see how many people are showing their love and respect for the greatest man I have ever known, but I would like to thank everyone for their continued support of TapouT, Punkass and myself. Ourselves and [TapouT CEO] Mark Kreiner are now focussed on moving the dream forward and following the UFC’s lead in trying to grow the sport of mixed martial arts to worldwide recognition. I love you all. God bless and thank you.”
Lewis was just 46 years old when he died. He was a prominent figure in the mixed martial arts world and yet his involvement began with selling t-shirts from the trunk of a car - often after driving all night to reach an event. A staple figure at MMA events around California and the US, he and the TapouT crew eventually grew what was a niche brand into a multi-million dollar company.
In the year of Lewis’ death TapouT was predicted to turn over $225 million, which makes his tragedy all the greater. But considering that he died at the wheel of a limited-edition Ferrari 360 at a time when TapouT had become the Nike of mixed martial arts, one can safely say that Lewis had more than achieved the American Dream - and his own dream. Little wonder that the man’s personal motto (one that lives on in a commemorative TapouT shirt) is one that also sums up his life and his attitude in one word: ’Believe’
John Joe O’Regan
John.fightersonly@gmail.com
ADD US ON TWITTER: http://twitter.com/FightersOnly
ADD US ON FACEBOOK: Fighters Only Page
ADD US ON MYSPACE: Fighters Only Magazine
And check out our YouTube channel - Youtube/FightersOnlyMagazine
Attachments:
- There are no attachments for this article
