14 DAY TRIAL // Ryan Dunn, one of the daredevils on MTV’s hit project “Jackass” and all its spinoffs, has died. The 34-year-old star and another passenger in his Porsche were killed after the car crashed into a tree on the side of the road and caught fire.
Word of Dunn’s death sent a wave of shock through his castmates and best friends, with Johnny Knoxville and Bam Margera saying they had lost their “brother.”
PopEater reports that Dunn was most likely speeding at the time the crash occurred, while further reports in the media suggest that alcohol may have also been a factor.
“Dunn was at the wheel when his 2007 Porsche careened over the road’s guardrail and into the woods before bursting into flames. The collision occurred at roughly 3:00 AM Monday morning on Pennsylvania’s Route 322,” PopEater says.
“Just hours before his death, Dunn tweeted a photo of himself and two pals – documenting their night out, beer and cigarette in hand,” the e-zine says.
The photo has been deleted since then.
Because of the fire that turned the car into a small pile of metal, the identity of the other passenger will be established after the autopsy.
A police investigation is now underway to determine what caused the accident and, of course, whether Dunn was behind the wheel.
However, because of said photo that Dunn posted on Twitter only hours before the crash, it’s a strong possibility that he got behind the wheel while severely intoxicated, a theory that movie critic Roger Ebert also holds to be accurate.
“Friends don’t let jackasses drink and drive,” Ebert tweeted, prompting a very harsh reply from Bam Margera, who insists the cause of death is not that important right now, as Dunn’s death is.
“I just lost my best friend, I have been crying hysterical for a full day and piece of [expletive] roger ebert has that gall to pun in his 2 cents,” Margera lashes out on Twitter, as TMZ can confirm.
He also urges Ebert to “shut [his] fat [expletive]-ing mouth!” and let Dunn’s fans grieve his death in peace.