June 27th, 2011
05:32 PM ET
Johnny Knoxville pens tribute to Ryan DunnA week after the tragic death of “Jackass” star Ryan Dunn, his friend and cast mate Johnny Knoxville has taken to his blog to say everything he couldn’t say at last week’s memorial. “I walked to the podium and tried to share memories of my dear friend, but the words were just spinning in my head,” Knoxville recalls of Dunn’s service. “What came out were the mumblings of a man trying his best not to cry, and I wasn't even successful at that.” Although he cautions that he may not be able to get everything out in his blog post, he forges ahead, remembering the friend and stuntman who died in a fiery crash on a Pennsylvania highway. It was later revealed that Dunn was traveling at a speed of up to 140 miles per hour and had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.196 percent. While Dunn was known for his ability to make people laugh – Knoxville says he was 34 percent funnier when Dunn was around – he “wasn’t incapable of seriousness.” Knoxville explains that “Ryan was a great listener. If you were having troubles, he was always someone you could go sit down and talk to…he was always there if you were sad about something. That's why all this is even harder because right now I really need to talk to him but I can't.” He continues on, at times speaking to Dunn directly, saying frankly, “I'm hurting!! We all are because we loved you so much and now you're gone. I know your spirit lives on in me, Angie, Bam and everyone you touched, but that's pretty tough to see right now through the tears.” Knoxville concludes his post by asking for understanding if he’d begun to ramble. “I'm just very sad because I lost my brother and my world got about 134-percent less funny,” he says. “I don't know what else to say right now, so I will close with I love you, Ryan. I have a lot of emotions swirling, but I want you to know I love you so very much.” He isn’t alone in feeling the loss of Dunn, however. HLN’s Dr. Drew Pinsky adds that Dunn’s death “has really hit me.” “I have a close relationship with several of the ‘Jackass’ crew, who support and love each other,” Dr. Drew says. “Make no mistake they are grieving deeply right now, and we need to be mindful of their feelings during this time of grief.” And although the accident also sparked a bit of online drama surrounding tweets from film critic Roger Ebert, the “message here is, ‘be careful,’” Dr. Drew says. “Don’t drink and drive. Let’s use this awful tragedy as a reminder that none of us are invincible.” Meanwhile, the G4 network, which previously had put Dunn's show "Proving Ground" on "permanent hiatus," will resume airing the stuntman's 9-episode series on July 19 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. The network will also air an hour-long tribute to Dunn with "Attack of the Show!" on July 19 at 7 p.m. ET/PT, which will feature memorable moments of the "Proving Ground" star plus interviews from friends and colleagues.
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If Ryan Dunn popped up in front of me and I said "Done is Dunn" he would laugh. RIP Ryan
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Dunn made me laugh, seemed like a cool dude and guess what people we all die........
RIP Ryan Dunn: U Drink U Drive U Dunn Tee’s available exclusively @ http://www.whatsdunnisdunn.com Follow us @scandalousteez. Please Remember Don’t Be A Jack Ass Don’t Drink And Drive, Drink Responsibly.
I knew both of these guys. They were both good people. Good people make bad decisions sometimes, decisions that cause unnecessary harm to themselves and other people. Ryan was a super sweet guy who did something stupid and reckless. Only if you have never done something stupid and reckless should you make any comment on that. Who are you to stand in judgment of him? It seems to be very easy for people to flippant, insensitive comments about this, which they wouldn't make if it were their friend, or family member or neighbor. While celebrity in has a way of makes people feel like they know a person, it also seems to dehumanize that person in other ways What everyone needs to remember here is that he was a person with a mother, and a family and lifelong friends, pre-fame, who have loved him his whole life. So I guess what I am getting at is, while he absolutely made an awful decision, with tragic results, remember we are all capable of making awful decisions, and have probably made a few in our past, and should consider them when we decide to make harsh judgments of others.
For most these would appear to be pointless deaths. However, by learning from their mistakes and changing how you think about things, these tragic events are far from meaningless. I wonder how many juveniles and adults will rethink their actions because of this highly publicized tragedy.
Tox reports are a different test, beyond blood alcohol. It test for drugs and other things in the blood. Tox reports can take up to a month to get back. So as your name states...?
With everyone here, in Hollywood and in the news media grieving over the los of Ryan Dunn, I have seen very few words spoken in grief over the loss of his passenger, much less his name and personal story. Ryan Dunn's irresponsible actions killed a man whose only mistake was to trust his friend and accept a ride as the passenger of a drunk driver. I am not here to bash Dunn or any of the commenters, but maybe I am here to express deep sadness at how most people in the world have missed the boat on this tragedy. Two men are dead because one man chose to drink and then drive. Please show some compassion and think a good thought for the family and memory of the passenger. Like Dunn, he was young and probably had lots of life plans as well.
The time for blame is over,Fight nice children.
He is a jerk. He killed his friend in the car (granted the dude got in it with a drunk driver) but he was on the road. what a a hole
Anyone that shove cars up their butt should get a star on Hollywood Blvd!
I think it is all good. many people die everyday that are worth to life much more. It is not like we are losing someone important to anything. It is a sad moment, and then we change channel. The entertainment industry must have hit quite the dead spot to make a person like him any good or relevant to spend our priceless moment watching. Every town had a loser like him that would perform attention seeking tricks..................then they became towing drivers. On a good note for him, he is an undeserving recipient of some sort of wacko legacy in the world of Jerry Springer type of TV watchers. Thank God he did not kill more innocent people. Rest in Pieces
Who was he?
here is what is so ridiculous.
while all of these morons are blogging about their friend getting splattered in his Porsche,kids are going hungry in this country.
who cares about a bunch of idiots with too much money getting killed driving drunk?
people,get your prioirties straight.
If i was first responder, and he was alive but killed his passenger, i would've poured gas on his murdering, selfish, loser as$.
Dunn lived up to the shows name and than some. Is this kind of behavior that takes innocent lives, if he want to endanger himself be my guess but don't involve anyone else. This is no different than drinking and driving.
(sic) "hypocrites"
Pretty self explanatory you idiots! A mistake! Maybe one you wouldn't make, but let it be....how many true posters have never had a drink and drove??? Hypocrotes....leave the grieving to the fam and put your attention on growing to be good....act good....treat others well...ESPECIALLY WHEN DEAD....phuckoffs
I've never had a drink and drove, because I'm not an idiot like Dunn.
Nice attempt at rationalizing though with that "who hasn't done it?". Perhaps you need to check into Betty Ford?
You drink, you drive, you die!!!! It is hard to understand?
I am sorry for the pain of the family and friends of Mr. Dunn, but his is not a tragic story. Drinking and driving is a felony and if he had survived, Mr. Dunn would have been charged (and likely convicted) of either negligent manslaughter or perhaps even voluntary manslaughter. Sorry to be crass, but getting Mr. Dunn off the road probably saved the lives of innocent people. I am sorry for his family and friends, but I am not sad Mr. Dunn is dead.
All of you on here talkin' sh!t about how he deserved it and he should have burned and actin' like idiots make me sick for the human race. I don't give a d@mn if he made a mistake and accidentally killed his buddy. He didn't intend to. These people live a fast lifestyle and if you got the chance you would do as many stunts as they did to make millions. You all make me sick...you never talk about someone when they have died that way....it's tragic to think that my buddy took his like with a .40cal on Thanksgiving Day.....I hate that day always....If you ever talked about my friend in my face instead of behind a keyboard and a proxy i'd smack you so hard your mom would feel it. I cannot stand you hatin' a$$ negative people that say screw Dunn and he deserved it. I know that some have lost loved ones to drunk driving and I understand that you may have a special stance on this and I will not discredit your feelings, but all you other chumps and sissies get a like and love one another....you'd be lucky if someone even wrote about you misfits.....
> you never talk about someone when they have died that way
Dangerous idiots deserve to be ridiculed, and he was a dangerous idiot.
I don't know if I can feel sorry for him or the person in his car. He made the choice to drink twice yhe legal limit, he made the choice to drive 130-140mph. The person with him made the choice to get into the car knowing how drunk he was. Was this a flip of a coin, who is drunk less will drive? I know everyone makes mistakes, but this is a mistake that effected not only two families but millions of his fans, and it's a mistake that can never be taken back. Im sorry it cost two men their lives, but it was by their own doing.
What's with Knoxville and all the 34's?
"Knoxville says he was 34 percent funnier when Dunn was around.." and “I'm just very sad because I lost my brother and my world got about 134-percent less funny,” he says.
I'm guessing he had an alcohol problem and though it was a poor decision it doesn't change the fact that he was a good person. I live in West Chester, PA and I know how dangerous the roads are when you are sober and frankly driving fast and drunk is really common here too (West Chester Univ. is literally a few blocks away from the bar Barnabys he drank at that night) so I hope this tragedy starts to change that trend and open some eyes in this area and across the country. He will be missed though, I have several friends that knew him quite well and I feel for Johnny Knoxville expressing grief in a public forum is a great idea to get the support you need and talk about the qualities a person had when people are focusing on the negatives.
I wonder if this was a suicide?
It wasn't just suicide. It was murder-suicide.
I have said for years that it would take one of them to die to wake the jakeass group up... I am so sad that this has come true and now a family has to live on without their loved one!! I realize you only live once but you should want to at least live that one time and tempting death so much is a bad idea.. LIVE LAUGH LOVE..... Don't Drink and Drive!!! My heart goes out to all his family and friends
DRIVING 140 MPH IS NOT A MISTAKE...ITS STUPID FOLKS...HE DID NOT MAKE A MISTAKE, HE DID AN AFTER HOURS STUNT THAT KILLED HIM
I'm tired of drunks killing people, I'm tired of people taking no responsibility for their actions, I'm tired people justifying illogical behavior, I'm tired of blaming OTHER people for YOUR mistake. I'm tired of IDIOTS like RYAN DUNN.
He died because he was stupid. I don't feel sorry for him. Darwinism at it's best.
JUST THOUGHT I WOULD COMMENT...THE POOR SOUL THAT GOT IN THE CAR DID NOT KNOW THE CAR WAS GOING TO BE DRIVEN 140 PLUS..HE WOULD HAVE TO EVALUATE THE DRIVERS PERSONNA(WILD. CARELESS.. CRAZY?)RYANS REP. WAS THE ISSUE.BEEN IS SIMULAR SITUATIONS...LUCKY TO BE HERE AT ALL.
For all of you supporting Ryan Dunn's pointless and stupid death, I wonder if you'd feel the same way if a convicted drunk driver in your neighborhood repeatedly drove through it drunk and speeding, putting other people's lives at risk. Doubtful. Yet that's exactly what he was doing. For YEARS. He was no better than other drunk drivers and worse than many, since he got caught and kept doing it.
Honestly I do not understand all of the harsh comments and public scrutiny of a person's death. I do beleive that none of the people making these ridiculously insensitive comments have ever lost someone close to them. When you understand what it is like to hold a loved ones casket in your hands and watch them lower into the ground maybe youll have some compassion. The bottom line is someone lost their son, brother, best friend. They're never going to see them again and they have to live with that. His choices were terribly unintelligent and has caused someone else to lose their life but when you lose someone close to you youre not worried about how they went just how they impacted your life. Take a minute to put yourself in their shoes, keep your mouths shut and allow the poor people the opportunity to grieve.
Especially when you hold the casket of someone who was killed by a drunk driver. Oh.. wait...
Jenn007, if we don't blame him....who do we blame?? He drank , he drove , he died.....I don't see how there can be another person to blame. I do feel for his friends and family for their loss. This however could have all been prevented by calling a cab. 140mph after a night of drinking....that is just signing your own death certificate!
I feel bad for his family and friends......but he took someone else's life with him too. He was known to drink and drive frequently. His passenger made a terrible decision getting into Dunn's car that night.
In Mianus, they get really mad if you drive drunk. Mianus is very concerned about accidents.
Alcoholism is one of the most tragic diseases, because it causes people who mean no harm to do tremendous harm - to themselves, to those they love, and to total strangers. Everybody makes fun of Prohibition now, but it was an honest attempt to acknowledge that fact and save people from themselves. Like animals, who seek out fermented fruit on trees for the "buzz," man enjoys the euphoria of alcohol. The effects make some lose control and commit stupid and terrible acts they often don't even remember. The substance is addictive and does no real good despite "studies" that show tiny amounts of it can help one's heart.
Our rage, grief and frustration are showing in all these letters; losing another person to alcohol; yet another family and friends in tears. Yet, each new generation picks up the first drink as they have since the dawn of man. Alcohol puts drinkers and everyone they come in contact with, at the mercy of brutal, cold and merciless physics: the physics of absorption of the drug; the physics of momentum and speed; the physics of impaired cerebral decision-making and impulse-control. These are facts. It does no good to attack one another or to rail at the sufferers. The destruction goes all the way back through human history. Why there is such a cultural mystique around it baffles me.
Alcohol marketing attempts to make drinking a sophisticated act: James Bond in his tuxedo: "Shaken not stirred." Or a literary pose: F. Scott Fitzgerald and Charles Bukowski. We are all saying the same thing; it is a human affliction. Turning on eahc otehr does no good whatsoever. Try not to drink, and try to stop otehrs from driving drunk, fighting drunk, having $ex drunk and so on. Help don't hate. We are all in this together in one way or another.
Here's my tribute..."Hee haw hee haw." He had no respect for his own life, his loved ones, or others (in the car or on the road), so he deserves none.
give me a break please !!! he was a drunk . nobody's fault but his own and the tv show sucks also . who cares ~~~
stupid is as stupid does !
Glorifying someone after they drink, speed over 100 mph and then crash and kill not only themselves, but someone else- pathetic! I feel for their friends and family because they must surely be saying what a waste of a life. He was stupid and reckless. His passenger was a victim.
Internet righteousness. Gotta love it.
Ryan didn't kill anyone. The guy got in the car with Ryan, whom he had been drinking with that night. They just made terrible mistakes and paid the ultimate price for them. No need for insensitive idiots to add insult to injury here. Then again, I guess your comments really won't matter in the grand scheme of things, but still, you're morons.
Ryan Dunn was a habitual (and previously convicted) drunk driver. Blaming the victim a bit aren't we? He absolutely killed his passenger.
You people are unbelievable. Try showing some RESPECT for his FAMILY. I sincerely hope that if you lose a loved one, you don't have ignorant people bashing them.
I personally know the effects of drinking and driving. I do not condone it, but there is a sense of compassion to be had for the FAMILY and FRIENDS of the people that are lossed.
I really hope all of you can grow up one day and never have to experience any of this for yourselves.
HE is (or was) the one that should have thought about his family before he picked up the first drink, the second drink and/or the eleventh drink knowing he would be getting behind the wheel of his vehicle. Respect is something you EARN not deserve.
Dunn picked his poison getting behind the wheel drunk. He is soley responsible for his actions. No one else. End of story.
I am VERY sorry for this man and his family. Terrible. God Bless. But on the other hand his brand of comedy (and that of his comedy troup) is based on risk taking. I'm not the audience by far but wonder how many teen kids ended up in ER wards after watching this "comedy" after rolling down a roof in a shopping cart. When one is young you never think life could end so soon. But it can and it did.
Amazing to see so many honoring a DRUNK. Boo woo so many affected...Please. The only one affected will be the bars
He wasted money at getting drunk...
Lets celebrate a dumba$$ who wanted to drink and then drive his car fast. Lets all sit here and feel sorry for him and his family. BOOHOO!!!! lets sit here and lay things down as we remember this tool who wanted to drink the night away and then drive home. Lets all feel sorry for him and what he did. BS!!!!! he got what he deserved!!!! lesson for all you kids. dont drink and drive!
There once was a j-–s named Dunn
Who thought it would be lots of fun
To go drive after drinking
Now what was he thinking?
Now we still have j-–ses less one!
Remember when G4 was tech tv, and didn't suck.
Barely...it's as awful as TLC now..
My condolences. Some people live fast and hard and unfortunately die fast and hard. I'm so sorry to all feeling this loss right now... and always. It's hard to lose friends, brothers, sons... Take comfort in the good times and learn from the tragic mistakes of those friends, brothers, sons... Remember the laughter and the love. Again – my condolences.
It is sad that he died. Yes, he was drunk...and yes, he was speeding. But, that doesn't make it any less tragic. And for those who argue against any involvement of bar establishment.... It is Pennsylvania Law (Dram Shop statute) that an establishment is not permitted to continue to serve someone that is visibly intoxicated. However, a recent news article states that no charges will be filed against Barnaby's in relation to these laws because he would not be "visibly" drunk. Regardless, in other situtation, it is the BAR'S responsibility to cut someone off and has resulted in litigation in the past.
He was a previously convicted DUI driver and he still drove drunk!! What if this was some guy in your neighborhood, would you feel differently then? Sure, blame the bar and remove all the responsibility for his actions. Brilliant. He could have called a friggin cab or a friend if he wasn't such a dumbasz. Bottom line: he just didn't care about his life or others enough to not drive drunk. And that, makes him an aszhole.
He will b sorey missed Rip- Ryan Dunn *He such funnier person thats he make me laugh* Lovin the few shows he was in & deffy "J@ck@ss"
I won't miss him, in fact the streets are much safer now that he's dead.
His stuff is only funny if you're 12.
So a drunk driver kills someone as well as himself, and they are deserving of a tribute? The death of his friend is tragic, but Dunn's death was anything but. "Thanks for the laughs...oh, and for killing my son."
Sorry, see that the fact that Dunn murdered someone wasn't mentioned in this article. Guess that means it didnt really happen.
2 of my siblings were hit by a drunk driver a few days before Christmas years ago. Alcoholism is a real problem. I can feel sympathy for people who struggle with alcoholism. The alcoholics for whom I have no sympathy are those who drink and then drive. There is absolutely no excuse for this. If you have a problem with alcohol I am sorry for your problem. I am sorry for the rest of us if you drive drunk. Those who drive drunk are selfish, childish idiots.
He lived like a jacka_ss, and died like a jacka_ss.
Tragic: Like a greek tragedy. In greek tragedies, the lead character is often defeated by himself, due to some internal weakness or vulnerability.
Yep, tragic is the perfect word. Get a dictionary.
Except no tragedy took place. Evidenced the pics that were posted, he was having a grand ole time. There was no self defeat in this story. He clearly felt good about what he was doing. Making a bad choice does not instantly qualify as a tragedy, in this case it only equaled stupidity.
The craziest posts on here are the ones that say he went out exactly the way he would have wanted. Really?? 140 miles-an-hour into a tree followed by a fiery car crash in which he was burned alive. This guy must have really, really had a high tolerance for pain if this is the way he wanted to "go out".
Ryan's death wasn't tragic. He was drunk and speeding and he killed somebody for being an idiot.
His passenger's death was tragic. No mention of his murder at the wake, I imagine.
We've had almost 2 weeks to make jokes about this. How about we let Johnny Knoxville and the rest of the gang mourn their friend and everybody be respectful of them for a while?
There was nothing respectful about his life, nothing respectful about the way he died, so why should he have our respect in death?
I'm fine with that. But I don't want to hear any more about this idiot. Mourn him all you like, but don't pretend he didn't deserve it, or that the world is somehow a 'lesser' place because of his death. It isn't.
We're safer, and the average global IQ just ticked up a notch.
Whats the big deal!!! One less drunk on the road and he didn't even take an innocent life with him just his own, perfect!!!.
Except for his passenger.
sad for the family, but the gene pool was a winner that day!
And I have some gooberjuice to sling all over your face.
There is nothing funny or cool about drinking and driving like an idiot. Drunk drivers killed two of my best friends in two separate incidents. Anyone who drinks and drive should be sent to prison for twenty years, just to get them out of circulation. And those who make a life style of setting bad examples for kids should go to jail for life. Dunn was totally irresponsible and dangerous. He killed himself and an innocent passenger. He needed therapy, not his own TV show.
Ryan shouldve taken driving lessons from me.
ya pay tribute to a guy who as on a stupid show, and then got drunk and drove, speeding way too fast and predictably crashed and took his life! yes what a joke.
@ John – what kind of person expects random strangers on the internet to be mindful of their personal tragedies? No one knows who you are, they have no idea who your father is, and it's wrong of you to expect people to assume you've been personally touched by jaw cancer, of all things. Same goes for Bam – the guy that made a living doing "jacka$$" stunts bit it while drinking and driving. The very first report, on any website anywhere said "Ryan Dunn, best known as the Jacka$$ star that shoved a toy car into his rectum, has died in a car crash". That's his legacy. Shoving a toy car into his rectum. That is funny.
I don't get the big deal. Sure the shows were entertaining, but this guy was basically a moron that killed himself and another person by not being responsible. But then again, I doubt the word responsible was even in his vocabulary.
I will never forget how this group of guys would beat the crap out of their father sitting on a toilet or how they would walk into a Mom and Pop hardware store and sit on a toilet and take a C*^p in the middle of the strore....soooooooo, not funny. who is laughing now? It isn't a tragic story...I understand the hurt of losing anyone Johnny but maybe you can reflect on this to see how the things you did before were childish and make a movie about about apologizing to the people you have perpetrated your filth on...Not the audience, because I just never bought another ticket but the people in your movie....I didn't even know who this guy was and I say karma is.....well you know.
Absolutely right. Tragic?! Tragic implies undeserved, Ryan got exactly what he deserved. Pity he isn't around to see the aftermath.
Funny!
Dr Drew is such a joke. I believe that he does do good things but telling people that addiction is a disease is so beyond laughable its sad. If you actually have the will power to stop an addiction you will and you won't need excuses such as a disease to explain your lack of commitment to ending your addiction.
Addiciton IS a disease. People are never "cured". Sometimes they trade one addiction for another. (Ie. Drugs for Religion is a popular one....) While some just try and hold it off as best they can. Drew doesn't make stuff up, this is a science, and it has been proven. It is what he and thousands and thousands of other Doctors do all over the world every day of their life.
I'm not sure what this awareness of drinking and driving is going to do? Dunn was more than aware of the consequences. There are YouTube videos of everyone discussing that this was how he was going to die. There are videos of Dunn showing off all his wrecked cars in his garage because he said he was a horrible driver. If anyone was more aware of the consequences of drinking and driving, it was Ryan Dunn.
The lesson here, I think, if there is any.. Is that the people around him should have taken his keys, even if it meant chaining him to a chair. The bar tender, the close friends, anyone... Not placing the blame on any of them, but people need to realize they exist on this planet for more than themselves. If you see someone about to kill themselves, try and help them out a bit before it happens.
My father lost his jaw from cancer before he died. What kind of person makes a joke like that. Ebert made a stupid post but its got nothing to do with his face. Dont you understand that you hurt people with word like that?
"That's why all this is even harder because right now I really need to talk to him but I can't.”"
Im a 23 year old male, and ill admit...this made me tear up
That's because you are a huge h0mo.
Screw Dunn. He ruined his own life, that of another and families on both sides. Drinking and driving is wrong no matter how you look at it.
"Thank you buddy, for you have shown us, much to my surprise, that actions do indeed have consequences. Whodathunk it, right? Live and learn, I guess. Well... You know what I mean."
that would be funnier...if you were a better typist
It amazing the compassion of some of the posters in here. Let's see how snarky you all are when a close friend of yours die's. Dunn will be missed by alot of people not just friends and family so show some freaking respect.
Respect a drunk driver that murdered another?
You people are unbelievable. Try showing some RESPECT for his FAMILY. I sincerely hope that if you lose a loved one, you don't have ignorant people bashing them.
I personally know the effects of drinking and driving. I do not condone it, but there is a sense of compassion to be had for the FAMILY and FRIENDS of the people that are lossed.
I really hope all of you can grow up one day and never have to experience any of this for yourselves.
"the people that are lossed" Seriously??
Give me a break. The guy was drinking and driving and not only killed himself, but also a passenger. Why do people continue to defend this guy like he was some sort of role model or idol? Considering it was just plain luck no one else was killed that night, it is sad and pathetic to say "he just made a mistake, we all make mistakes". A mistake is saying 2+2 = 5, drinking and driving is nothing but a stupid choice. Nobody deserves to die, but if you die because of obviously stupid choice you have only yourself to blame. Drugs, alchohol, or whatever else are no excuse for being able choose right from wrong.
Well said. I have no sympathy for drunk drivers. I'm saddened he killed his friend and himself being stupid. I'm thankful there wasn't any other car involved. I have been hit by a drunk driver and have known someone killed by a drunk driver. What a selfish, stupid decision to get behind the wheel after drinking. Where were all his friends to take away the keys?
Right, its always the person who drink's fault. Lets ignore the societal issues that drive people to drink; that would be far too complicated. Instead, blame the victim and bury your head back in the sand.
@Emvaz...oh right. I always forget, society is to blame for ones personal choices. Nobody has to be responsible for themselves. Forgive me for thinking, I am able to think and choose for myself and I am responsible for my own actions. How self-centered of me. From now on, everything I do is your fault and you can suffer the consequences of my actions. Should I start small and steal internet from my neighbor or go big and rob a bank?
"societal issues"? You have to be kidding me. His arm brought the drink to his lips. His hand put his key in the ignition. His foot pushed the gas pedal until it read 140 MPH. He killed himself and his passenger.
@Emvaz: Societal issues that cause previously convicted DUI drivers like Ryan Dunn to repeatedly drive drunk until they kill themselves and someone else? Those societal issues? I guess I'm not familiar with those.
Emvaz – Right, its always the person who drink's fault.
YES, IT IS!!!
I guess the weight of being rich and famous and having a "job" that you love was too much for him.
ha! good one.
How does a story about someone dying spark so many sick and negative comments? Then again, I'd probably do the same thing to them if they lost a loved one.
Because it was an idiotic, harmful-to-others death. If he had passed away from cancer, it would have been different.
Simple, lose one of your immediate family members to a drunk driver, and see if you can keep your mouth shut when something like this happens. It's almost impossible. My dad was killed by a drunk driver before Ryan was BORN. Yet idiots like Ryan keep killing themselves and others....it only shows that as humans, we don't learn very well from the examples of others, unless those others are widely portrayed as total morons...THEN we MAY listen.
Its very sad that Ryan is gone, its sad the way he went. God knows he made me laugh a lot. I am thankful that there was not another car involved. As for the Jack Ass Crew.... Well I'm sure the pain your feeling is overwhelming...But it will get better with time. Just keep him alive in your memories and be proud that you had the chance to know him and enjoy his humor and love...
You stay classy CNN commentators.
Right or wrong, two people died and alot of people are affected by this.. My thoughts and prayers are with all of those saddened by the loss of Ryan. Let's just hope others can use this as an example and perhaps lives can be saved.
If you could only rewind real life... RIP.
Who wrote this? Jesus... ever hear of proof reading??? You suck!
Does anyone not have a better place to go practice their lame one-liners? I wonder if Ryan Dunn's family will log on to CNN and make idiotic comments when your loved ones die horribly? Probably not because not many people will care.
No and No.
LIKE 🙂
everyone is a comedian
I agree with you, morons. What I don't understand is that everybody is blaming Ryan, what about the people at the bar, the people he was hanging out with that night, the bartender. If you see that the person is overly drunk you're supposed to stop selling him drinks and one of the people at the bar could of easily gotten him a cab or taken his keys. His alcohol level was so high he wasn't functioning right to make the right decision. Also the guy decided to get in the car with him, it was his choice. And everybody should stop with your lame jokes they are not funny. I can't believe there are so many heartless people.
Wait, Vanessa35, it was the choice of the guy to get in the car with him and end up dying. But it wasn't Dunn's choice to order another beer from the bartender, that was the bartenders fault. The other people in the bar are there minding their own business but it's their fault he keep ordering. The people drinking with him, probably as messed if not more than him, are at fault. Also they could have easily gotten the keys, yeah drunken men are so coopertive. He wasn't functioning but every other drunk around him was and could have intervened. Could says this to the passengers' family with a straight face. Or what if he would have killed someone else or someone you know wouold you give this list of excuses then?
Vanessa, this wasn't his first DUI. He was also arrested for that in 2005. That's what makes this all the more stupid. He had his "wake up moment" and ignored it. It's hard to blame the bar if he liked to drink and drive.
Vanessa35,
No, it was NOT the bartender's fault, nor the fault of other patrons in the bar. It was HIS decision to drink heavily and then get into his car. Folks, we have GOT to start standing up and taking responsibility for our own actions. We cannot continue to look outside of ourselves and blame others for our mistakes. Until that happens we will continue to see this country spiral out of control... crumbling empire indeed... starts with its citizens.
actually, DrtyRdr, it is the bartender's fault. It's the law. If a bartender overserves a customer and that customer gets in a wreck, the bartender and the bar itself can both be held liable.
and then go and do something for another family's son or daughter who want to go out and drink and then drive. He was a dumba$$ for what he did and he paid the price for his stupidity.
Being "legally liable" and being "responsible for something" are very different things. While the bar may have liability under the law, they aren't responsible for this accident. Similarly, the family of the passenger will likely file a civil suit against Dunn's estate for negligent homicide and win $$$$. The passenger was responsible for getting in the car, but Dunn had liability in his death. In any case, Dunn's responsible for both deaths here, not the bar.
Maybe they should sue Porsche for making a car that crashes into trees and kills people when driven drunk at 140 mph at night on a rural road. How irresponsible for them to make a car like that! Deflecting the blame from Dunn is stupid. He owns this mess, especially after his previous DUI.
Dunn could have stopped drinking. He could have taken a cab home. He could have used a designated driver. He already had a DUI. He was not 12. He was 30.
He killed himself and a passenger. He didn't deserve to die, but he doesn't deserve much sympathy. Be grateful he didn't kill a pedestrian, too.
Sad. My thoughts are with the family's of both guys.
So, while I know your feelings on drinking and driving are more important than tact, but keep in mind this story is about someone who is grieving. None of Dunn's friends were responsible for his actions, but they have to live with them. If you can't be sympathetic to that end you are a sad, pathetic, waste of a human being.
Thats very Jesus like of you Jason
also the inherent ironies of someone calling themselves god and then calling someone a pathetic waste of life is just too stupid for me to even address.
I am so tired of reading about people blaming him like he chose to die. Yes, he made poor decisions on this night, but anyone who has been under the influence of alcohol knows that your head is not alway clear enough to make the right decision. Its pathetic that some of you are saying that he deserved to die as a result of that decision that night. His freinds and family have the right to greive without a bunch of strangers input, and to remember the person that he was in their lives. If you have opinions about how he died then I would suggest that you stew about them in the privacy of your own home, instead of posting them on a public forum to insult someone you did not know personally in his death. I have not ready a single article anywhere or a single post by any of his family and freinds where they were condoning his actions that night or telling people its ok to drink and drive, there simply expressing what he meant to them, and one night of drinking and driving does not define the life of Ryan Dunn. So it might be a good time for all of your one line jokers, and critical opinionators to be shelved so that those that loved him can have the respect to remember his life and greive for him.
@Jenn, it wasn't just this night. He was previously convicted of DUI and kept driving drunk until it ended like this. I feel for his friends and family, but he was an asz for repeatedly doing this until he killed himself and an innocent person.
I would never say he deserved to die because he got behind the wheel drunk, I just don't feel sorry for him. I do at some extent feel sorry for his family and friends, less so if they knew he did stuff like this and either chose to ignore it or even worse support it.
@Jenn007, are you 12 or something? Get real, "anyone who has been under the influence of alcohol knows that your head is not alway clear" and that makes it okay?. If you can't be responsible for yourself or think clearly, here is a grand idea...don't drink. "His friends and family have the right to grieve without a bunch of strangers input", but what again is this article on here for? Is this not Knoxville expressing his grief in a public forum? I must be missing something. Trying to gain praise or sympathy on a public forum for a drunken driver who not only killed himself, but another person is just plain ludicrous. Too many people in the world are too familiar with the pain of losing someone to a drunken driver. There is no sympathy to be gained. Sorry, but this one night does define his life. In the end he was a murdering drunken driver, nothing that he did can change that, he last final choices are all that define him and, again, it was all by his own choice.
This guy was stupid for repeating the same mistake twice. His friends are even stupider for ignoring him, which drives him to take such risks for attention. I can visualize the scenario so clearly that I can practically hear his last moments: pitch black 10 feet ahead, road winding every 2 seconds, engines erratically roaring, the constant hiss of the heater, a sudden pause as a guardrail approaches, a thought of survival, the oncoming jagged sheet of glass and metal, the holding of breath, the impact of the grinder, vomiting, the rear of the car crushed.
@Jack- Regardless of his drinking history the guy is still gone, and his family is still greiving. Knoxville was a personal friend of Dunn's so he had every right to express his loss in a public forum, but a bunch of strangers who did not know him as a person don't have the right to make assumptions about his life. Who are you to degrade his life is all I'm saying. We can all agree that he made a stupid fateful choice by drinking and driving, and AGAIN no one is condoning that choice, but for you a STRANGER who never even met the guy to sum up his life by the way he died is NOT right. I don't care how many DUI's he had, its still a pathetic response to someone expressing their pain over losing their friend. No one was trying to gain praise over the fact that he died while driving drunk, they were just trying to remember the person that he was and what he meant to them. Again all you know of this guy is that he died in a car crash while driving drunk and all I am saying is that no matter which way you shade it, thats not all that Dunn was, and it should be obvious by the way people have spoke about him and I think thats all that people that knew him are trying to express about him.
They have the choice to grieve in public or to grieve in private. Plastering all over the internet is not private and anybody who writes on the net opens themselves up to whatever anyone has to say, good or bad. Fact is, I don't care about Dunn, Knoxville, Bam or any of their family or friends. What I do care about is seeing a drunken driver being talked up all over the internet as if he was a tragic loss of life. Is it a sad loss of life? Sure, anytime someone dies there will be those who are sad, but this guys death is far from tragic. He didn't come down with some incurable disease, he didn't lose his life saving another, he wasn't killed by some other idiot. Fact is, he was the idiot, and for as long people want to try and make him up to be something else, there is always going to be those who are going to tell it like it really is. If they don't want to hear it, keep it off the internet.
A few things...
0.196 percent is not the measure of breath or blood alcohol. it is not a percentage. It is actually grams per deciliter. The Chief of police in the original story screwed this up and is has been repeated ad nauseum.
No one deserves to die. No one. We all deserve to feel the repercussions of our actions. Ryan was not the first person to drink too much and get behind the wheel of a car. He is in very good company in that regard. Unfortunately, it cost him the ultimate price: his life. Again, he is not the first person to pay that price for his lapse in judgment.
What cannot be overlooked is that people around the world looked up to this man for his courage, caring and sense of humor he exhibited as a performer. What must not be overlooked is that he is just as fallilble as the rest of us and just as susceptible to the consequences.
Ryan should be loved and revered for what he gave us all in life. He should never be forgotten for what his tragic death has taught us: no matter who you are or what your talents, mixing alcohol and driving is a tremendous creates a tremendous risk to EVERYONE. Just don't do it.
Ryan did not want to die as a public service announcement, but I know that in death he would want the world to learn something from the way he lived his life. From the highs, to the lows.
A tragedy. More's the tragedy for those that are forgetting a young man refused to hold his liquor, after repeated warnings in life, and not only killed himself, but another. Homicide at the very least. My greatest sympathy to his family, but I would feel the same about my own grown son. Sad, torn, heart ache, but ultimately disappointed.
Wake up people to the consequences of your actions.
Nuff' said
You guys are all idiots, quit trying to play god and judge. None of you perfect.
Rest in Peace Ryan Dunn and Zachary Hartwell.