Eric Swenson Dead: Thrasher Magazine Co-Founder Commits Suicide At 64

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Thrasher magazine co-founder Eric Swenson is dead.

The skateboarding icon apparently committed suicide in San Francisco on Monday. He was 64.

Police told the Chronicle that Swenson shot and killed himself in front of the Mission police station.

The San Francisco Examiner reports Swenson may have chosen the police station to end his life to spare his loved ones from finding him, according to Gwynn Vitello, Thrasher's publisher and wife of Swenson's business partner, Fausto Vitello.

From Thrasher Magazine:

People talk, but seldom act. Eric Swenson got things done. Never one to clamor for the spotlight, he preferred the hard work, orchestrating the show from behind the scenes. It is with deep regret that we announce the passing of a dear friend and one of our founders. His mark on skateboarding is extraordinary. Without him there would be no Thrasher Magazine, Independent trucks, or Spitfire wheels, to name a few. He leaves behind his wife Linda and sister Rebekah, along with a tremendous number of admirers.

In 1978, Swenson and friend Fausto Vitello opened the skateboarding shop Independent Trucks manufacturing company in San Francisco.

In 1981, Swenson and Kevin Thatcher started Thrasher.

Comments

[historyaccessdotcom]

12:50 PM on 08/04/2011

Accompanying this article we have a photo of three men. I have no idea which one is Eric.

[Joseph Scott]

05:13 PM on 06/24/2011

My son skated for Z, third generation.
I remember him telling me about this guy -- "another old guy, like you, pops!".
"Thanks, kid," I said.

But this was not just another 'old guy," but a rain maker when it came to skating.
He got my son in his magazine, and helped build a career that gave him confidence, travel, and suited him well as he went into adulthood, armed with new skills.

RIP. Thrasher Magazine should make you proud, to have begun something like that and to help so many people find a face and a voice for their skating, to find their heroes....you did it, man.
No "another old guy" for you!
You'll be missed!

[Ralph McCarthy]

03:39 PM on 06/24/2011

Tragic....I remember Thrasher magazine from the 1980's when my older brothers were big fans of that magazine.

My prayers go out to Mr Swenson's wife and two sisters....

Thank you

[ShoNuff75]

01:53 PM on 06/24/2011

Sad to hear. Thanks for all the funny articles, interviews, event coverage and trick how-to's that I read for years.

[gregrocker]

11:52 AM on 06/24/2011

This does NOT have to be the course for skateboarders over 60. Get a bike, travel the world, take up rollercoasters.

[Mundane Egg]

01:00 PM on 06/24/2011

So sad. You're right...good points.

[WorkhelpWorkhelp]

04:09 AM on 06/26/2011

Man, ya gotta think how crummy it must be to come right up against it, and say to yourself, "done enough." Or whatever his reasons were. Seems sad from this side of the curtain.

[ncsuvpifan]

11:01 AM on 06/24/2011

Random: I just jumped into the sport of Skydiving this spring. I've never ever been a deeply depressed person, but my hope is that the adrenaline buzz will forever stay fresh. GREAT way to wipe the slate clean from a bad work week(s), or even a great work week.
Who knows what his reasoning was for Ending it. But I think I've found something that will NEVER make me want to end it.

[walk1111]

01:05 PM on 06/24/2011

Well, I hope you're right about your skydiving passion. Let me just say this. I am an ex-sport parachutist and I am because my last jump was a malfunction.
I was a parachute rigger in the Air Force and thought if anyone knew how to pack a chute, it was me. Good luck and enjoy a wonderful sport.

[historyaccessdotcom]

12:53 PM on 08/04/2011

Good luck with it! If you'll forgive me for a tiny bit of self-promotion (but highly relevant) - there's a cool article on skydiving at HistoryAccess.com, go to the Table of Contents, "S" section, and click on "Skydiving." The sidebar of the piece has an interesting history of the sport.

[vulpecula762mm]

09:44 AM on 06/24/2011

It takes brass bawlz
THIS
BIG

To choose your own ticket.

[CPAwADD]

10:08 AM on 06/24/2011

You can't know. There is more than one reason for punching your own ticket.

[Lalita Amos]

10:52 AM on 06/24/2011

No, it really doesn't.

[clearpepsi]

05:17 PM on 06/26/2011

yes.. it does, for instance why haven't you done it - because you are scared

[cibersatan]

08:50 AM on 06/24/2011

Thanks Eric....your magazine was my first subscription ever and it provided me with all kinds of new ways to break bones, remove skin...etc....think I'll go and look back over my old issues

[ilovevegas]

08:43 AM on 06/24/2011

I lost someone years ago. He tried everything offered at the time. Depression ate him up and he killed himself. Yes it's selfish but depression causes u to not think straight. You folks who feel you have to post snarky remarks don't understand.

[Kalie]

10:37 AM on 06/24/2011

You are right. Depression can bring a person to depths, that they think they cant tread.

[DustinTime]

02:24 AM on 06/24/2011

Thank you for such a vital cultural contribution. Peace be with you.

[Difster]

01:24 AM on 06/24/2011

Suicide is an incredibly selfish thing to do. The exception to that is if you're in extreme agony and dying with no hope for recovery.

But to go and shoot yourself in front of a police station and force other people to clean up your bloody body, put your family through the agony of your death ON PURPOSE is really a crappy thing to do.

It's possibly he was mentally ill, but if not, he's just another selfish coward who's last act on this side of eternity is to make his family and friends miserable.

[Mary West]

04:42 AM on 06/24/2011

uh other people are going to "clean you up" regardless, unless you do it in the woods.

[st0ked]

10:00 AM on 06/24/2011

You know,mental health and physical health are not components of two different creatures. Are you as critical of someone who has cancer or heart disease? Neurological disorders can cause the brain to go haywire and unable to think properly,just as a tumor will proliferate and cause the various systems of a body to operate in ways a healthy body will prevent. The brain is just another body part and when it's operating incorrectly,there is no way to know what the neurological messages might be. One may not be able to control where one's mind might say to go. If you break a leg, You can't will yourself to not have a broken leg and you can't will yourself to have a healthy brain or for the sun to shine at midnight.

[Scottsman]

01:08 AM on 06/24/2011

Why did he do it ??

[RatgurlSD]

12:55 AM on 06/24/2011

How very sad. Rest in Peace, and enjoy the ride on the other side.

[ubrew12]

12:53 AM on 06/24/2011

"Oh, yeah, life goes on.... long after the thrill, of living is gone..."
The founder of Thrasher magazine might have felt life's thrill was spent. But I think he should have carried on, anyway, as life is more than thrill and thrash. Still, I don't know his personal story, so cannot tell. RIP, Swenson, you were a class act.

[nmaddog7]

01:55 AM on 06/24/2011

Maybe he was in chronic pain and could not get help as marijuana is illegal, opioids-well you just get tolerant to them, and other than that-not much else besides Alcohol which causes depression and antidepressants-which really don't work for severe physical pain.
Think of how hard skateboarding is on your body...

[Jtt]

03:01 AM on 06/24/2011

You need to keep trying. No one needs to see you give up.

[beyondliberal]

11:08 AM on 06/24/2011

Medical marijuana is legal in CA.
For those who are not patients, the maximum penalty for possession of less than 1oz is a $100 fine that's an infraction, not a crime.

[flashfyre]

12:20 AM on 06/24/2011

Brings back memories. The advent of sealed bearings. Picking out a board, having it drilled, picking out the trucks and wheels, and putting it all together. Deciding where to place your favorite stickers. Getting chased out of parking garages and away from pretty much every ramp in the city. All the scrapes and bruises and friendships. Good times, and thank you Mr. Swenson, for all of your innovations and contributions. Rest easy.

[vulpecula762mm]

09:42 AM on 06/24/2011

This is truth