Jay Adams Memorial at Venice Beach

On Saturday, August 30, skaters, surfers and fans of Jay Adams gathered in Venice Beach, California for a celebration of his life. Legends of skateboarding and surfing shared stories of Jay's influence on the surf, skate and punk rock communities.

Jay Adams, who helped transform skateboarding from a simple street pastime into one of the world's most spectacular sports, died at age 53. The Skateboarding Hall of Famer died of a heart attack on August 15 while on a surf vacation in Mexico.

Adams rocketed to fame in the 1970s as a member of Z-Boys, the legendary group of surfers turned skateboarders who came together in a rundown, beachfront section of Southern California known as Dogtown. An estimated 2000 surfers and skateboarders gathered to pay respect to Adam's memory. Hundreds of surfers held a large memorial paddle-out tribute mid-day on the north side of the pier. Chants of "Jay Jay Jay" could be heard from the pier as onlookers watched the surfers. Los Angeles County fire department boats and lifeguards were on hand to add to the paddle-out by spraying their water cannons high into the air and blowing their horns in honor of a man who helped put Venice on the map. Later in the afternoon a skateboarding session was held at the Venice beach skate park, also in Adams' honor.