This morning the entertainment world was rocked with the news that Jackass alumni Ryan Dunn was killed in a fatal car accident. He was 34.
Sadly enough, the thoughts on the minds of bloggers and message boards was not of grief but more of a morbid curiosity. Many Jackass fans admit that they often wondered which one of the crew would die, likely in a stunt gone poorly and this story simply reminded us all that the men we have watched do ridiculous things for our amusement are in fact, mortal.
Sadly, preliminary reports are showing that Dunn may have been drunk and has been confirmed to have been speeding at the time of his fatal crash (rumours are circulating that he was driving at speeds up to 110mph), making this story even sadder, as this death was likely preventable. It’s sad that after so many years we have not yet learned that speeding and late night driving can be fatal due to the reduced visibility and fatigue (out of respect for Mr Dunn, I will not comment on reports that he was driving under the influence until there is a confirmed report stating as such).
However, one has to wonder what goes through the mind of the Jackass/Viva La Bam/CKY crew on a daily basis. These are guys who put their bodies on the line doing ridiculous things to entertain people for absolutely no reason except to entertain or offend. They’ve been in fights with boxers, swam with alligators, driven off of cliffs, thrown each other off of rooftops and eaten disgusting things, and yet somehow the most serious injury they sustained during the filming of the shows and subsequent feature films was a concussion. Steve-O injured himself more on the set of Dancing With the Stars than he did filming Jackass. There is likely a sense of immortality there. After all, these guys have survived far worse (in theory) than a late night joyride in a sportscar. Sadly, the Jackass crew has learned something as painful as the loss of a friend.
They learned that they are mortal.
The Misadventures of MHC 