Heart attack and acute mixed drug ingestion said to be cause of death.

Andy Irons, a three-time world surfing champion from Hawaii, who died at 32 in a hotel room last November, succumbed to a combination of a heart attack and drugs in his system, according to an autopsy report.

The presence of drugs confirmed rumors that dogged Irons during his surfing career. After winning championships from 2002 through 2004, and cementing his reputation as one of the greatest competitive surfers, Irons baffled the surfing world with erratic behavior. He abruptly quit the 2008 tour, and sat out the 2009 season before making a comeback in 2010.

The autopsy, provided to The New York Times on Wednesday by a publicist for Irons’s family, lists the primary cause of death as a heart attack related to coronary artery disease. The secondary cause is “acute mixed drug ingestion.”

Irons was found in his hotel room in Texas. In the room, the police discovered prescription bottles for Alprazolam, used to treat anxiety, and Zolpidem, a sleep aid, along with tablets containing methadone, a narcotic used to treat pain and opiate addiction. Toxicology tests showed Irons also had cocaine and methamphetamine in his system.

The autopsy report was prepared by the Tarrant County (Tex.) Medical Examiner’s office and will not be made public until June 20.

“Our office is still enjoined from releasing any information about this case,” a spokesman for the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s office said in an e-mail.

The Irons family hired its own medical examiners to review the report — one of whom disputed whether drugs contributed to Irons’s death. Yet it said it would not contest the medical examiner’s findings, and said Irons had long suffered from mood disorders and drug abuse.

read more at nytimes

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Irons’ Family Statement
June 8th, 2011

TO: MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA
FROM: THE FAMILY OF ANDY IRONS

RE: OFFICIAL IRONS FAMILY STATEMENT REGARDING ANDY IRONS AUTOPSY AND TOXICOLOGY REPORT

We have received the final autopsy and toxicology report filed in connection with Andy’s death on November 2nd, 2010, from the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office in Forth Worth, TX.

The family apologizes for the delay in the release of this information. The injunction filed last December was to allow Andy’s widow, Lyndie, who was then eight months pregnant with Andy’s son, Andy Axel Irons, to give birth in peace. Please understand that this decision meant that the family did not learn the cause of Andy’s death until May 20th, and only after a second delay was requested by an attorney in Dallas, without the family’s knowledge or consent, to provide time for the 13-page toxicology report to be interpreted by two independent forensic experts – a process that took several weeks, but also enabled the family to fully come to terms with the unexpected root cause of Andy’s death.

The autopsy concludes that Andy died a natural death from a sudden cardiac arrest due to a severe blockage of a main artery of the heart. Dr. Vincent Di Maio, a prominent forensic pathologist in San Antonio, TX, who has consulted on many high-profile cases, was asked to review and explain the autopsy results to the family. He states: “This is a very straightforward case. Mr. Irons died of a heart attack due to focal severe coronary atherosclerosis, i.e., ‘hardening of the arteries.’ He had an atherosclerotic plaque producing 70%-80% narrowing of his anterior descending coronary artery.This is very severe narrowing. A plaque of this severity, located in the anterior descending coronary artery, is commonly associated with sudden death.”

read more at surfermag

Huntington Beach, CA – The US Open of Surfing has a storied reputation for going big. This year will only add to that legacy as title sponsor Nike – along with presenting sponsors Hurley, Converse and Nike 6.0 – continue to elevate the event as the world’s largest youth culture and action sport festival. With more than 500,000 people in attendance along a 14-acre stretch of sand on the south side of Huntington Beach Pier, the Nike US Open of Surfing showcases the best in surf, skate, BMX, music, fashion and art.

“It’s hard to match the experience of the world’s best in sports, music and art coming together on the beach in one of action sports’ most iconic locations,” said Sandy Bodecker, VP Nike Action Sports. “Our commitment this year is to bring the energy from Huntington Beach to even more fans across the world.

The 2011 Nike US Open of Surfing will run from July 30 to August 7. All events are FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC or can be viewed live daily at www.usopenofsurfing.com. The event is owned and produced by IMG, the global leader in sports and entertainment.

Anchored by the world’s largest professional surfing competition, the $460,000 US Open is a pivotal point on the ASP World Tour for both the men and women. The Men’s side will feature a North America ASP Men’s Prime event with valuable points on the line right before the coveted ASP Top 32 cut-off. For the women, the US Open of Surfing will witness the final event of the 2011 ASP World Title Tour and crown a women’s world champion in Surf City this summer. “I’m really excited to be returning to Huntington Beach to try to defend my US Open title,” says Hawaii’s Carissa Moore. “It’s so fun to be competing in front of so many people!” In addition to the high-stakes Mens and Womens divisions, the US Open will feature a grade four men’s and women’s Pro Junior as well as the Pacifico Nose Riding Invitational – always a crowd favorite.

read more at usopenofsurfing.com

A few years in the making and now officially part of the program, Nathan Fletcher is now onboard the Nixon Surf Team. A friend of Nixon for as long as anyone can remember, Nathan was voted onto the team with no hesitation from the current team roster which includes the likes of Bruce Irons, Dusty Payne, Josh Kerr, Lisa Andersen, Dean Morrison, Rob Machado, Claire Bevilacqua, Keith Malloy, and Mark Cunningham. Additionally, Nathan becomes the first new team addition to the Nixon surf program in over two years.

“From his amazing accomplishments, his ability in the water and overall talent on dry land, Nathan brings a lot to the table,” stated Nixon Marketing Manager, Mike Murciano. “He represents surfing at the most core level. I not only speak for myself, but on behalf of the entire Nixon crew, when I say we are excited about the future projects and collaborations that we have on deck with Nathan.”

Known for his prowess with huge airs, monster waves, paddle-ins and pretty much everything in-between, Nathan is best summed up as someone who takes it to another level when it comes to progressive surfing.

“Bruce (Irons) was initially the catalyst,” recounted Nathan about his introduction to Nixon. “He is part of a brand that people really seem to take pride in and I wanted to get involved with that. I like being a part of something that has bigger ideas; where your thoughts become events, projects and so on.”

Expect to see Nathan’s thumbprint on the brand globally beginning this fall. His sponsors include Analog, Vans, Astrodeck and Stretch.

read original at nixonnow.com