Newport Beach CA — Fox News 11 L.A. reported that a red Ferrari split in half as it slammed into a light pole in Newport Beach today, killing the driver and injuring a passenger. The accident on southbound Jamboree Road near Camelback Street occurred just before 1 a.m., according to a Newport Beach Police Department lieutenant…
The impact of the crash broke the car in half and left the front portion of the high-performance Italian sports car crushed by the light pole. "It apparently was traveling at a high rate of speed, and it left the roadway, hit the curb, took out a light pole, and … someone is deceased in the vehicle and we don’t know who that person is at this particular time," Newport Beach police Lt. Steven Shulman told ABC7 at the crash site.
An unnamed source has told Ringleadfightnews.com that the deceased driver was TapouT Crew member and part owner of the multi-million dollar company, “Mask.” The information could not be verified and is still speculation at this point.
Police Lt. Steven Shulman told Fox News 11, "the coroner will identify that person, notify the family, and hopefully the passenger that we believe was in the vehicle will survive the injuries and we will find out a little bit more at that point."
A second victim was taken to a hospital following the accident, a Newport Beach Fire Department dispatch supervisor said. Her condition was not immediately reported. The injured victim was a female passenger who was ejected in the crash, On Scene reported.
Police say the bright red Ferrari Modena was traveling at high speed next to a Porsche when it apparently hit that car, then struck a curb and knocked over a light pole shortly before 1 a.m. Wednesday.
The crash tore the $300,000 car in half. The driver died at the scene and his name has not been released. A woman passenger thrown from the car has been hospitalized but there’s no word on her condition.
Police have arrested the Porsche’s driver, 51-year-old Jeffrey Kirby of Costa Mesa, for investigation of gross vehicular manslaughter, and his woman passenger for investigation of public intoxication. His phone number in Costa Mesa is unlisted.
We’ve made fun of Mask and the rest of the TapouT crew in the past, mainly because their loud/arrogant/"inyaface" schtick kind of represents everything we hate about meathead MMA fans. Yet TapouT has worked harder than any other company to sustain up-and-coming fighters through sponsorships; without Charles Lewis and his equally colorful business partners, countless fighters would have succumbed to the economic hardships of trying to make it as a mixed martial artist.
To borrow one of their phrases — this is incredibly Bad for the Sport. More details to come.
are you honestly that stupid to ask did he survive? i just saw a picture of him on the ultimate fighter with his birth and death on spike tv and found out i was so shocked i looked it up everywhere but yes he is dead.
Some people are incredibly ignorant. How the hell can you say somethin like that about ANYONE that has had their life taken away?!?!? That was disrespectful and unfortunately displays your pathetic character....
From following mma since the original days of the Gracie's on ppv I watched Mask and his crew on their show. With respect to his family and friends I say sorry for your loss. He was far to young to leave you. I watched the man known as Mask help a lot of young men try to reach for a goal and in the world today not many will do this and as for his company he was very loyal to the people he surronded himself with even when everyone around was trying to streamline the products they were selling Mask stuck to his principals and made a product he was proud of. I liked that about him. My hopes and prayers are to each of you though realize that we are not promised tomorrow and search your hearts and you will know that when we leave this Earth we will meet our Maker and unless you have a relationship with Him you are seperated from Him. God loves you and wishes you to know Him so please read your Bible's and do what it say's. And love each other no matter who or where ever you are. Kindness is not a sign of weakness!
I never knew charles aka mask personally, but i just from wacthing tapout i could tell he was a genuine person with nothing but love in his heart. He was passionate about what he did, and what he believed in I loved his personality he was particularly compassionate with the underdawgs bro righteous man it's not alot of people around like him he wasn't afraid to be himself.
This is such a lost. He did so much for MMA, he touched many people lives including mine. What a charter for sure. He will be missed by all. My love and prayers are with his family at such a tragic time. We'll miss you bro. I don't have a tapout t-shirt, but I will have one now. Peace be with him and everyone that trully loves him.
MASK WAS MORE THAN SUPERMAN,HULK HOGAN AND ANY OTHER SUPER HERO HE WAS REAL. HE CLIMBED FROM THE BOTTOM TO THE TOP AND HELPED OTHERS ACHIEVE THERE GOALS. I DREAMED OF MABY BEING PART OF THE TAPOUT FAMILY SOMEDAY AND WITH THIS SENSLESS TRAGIDY ALL I CAN DO IS "SIMPLY BELIEVE" RIP AND GODBLESS U ALL
It is sad that a human being died, however some of these posts realize that in general Mask's lifestyle and the Tapout brand has brought shame to MMA, by turning it from a sport of true warriors to a sport supported by meatheads and bozo's who think its ok to be reckless in a motor vehicle. What if he was the one who lived and the other guy died? would you be as supportive? What if he had killed an innocent kid?
His death is indicative of his meat head behavior which makes the whole MMA world look bad.
We are a big fan of Tapout and MMA we hate to hear this terrible news about Mask. He always made us laugh especailly when he picked on Punkass. He will be missed and our thoughts and prayers are with the family and the Tapout crew. Sorry for your lost and God Bless
rest in peace mask~and for the assholes that cant read~he wasnt drunk the driver of the porsche was and was arrested you freaks~just because you dont like someone or something doesnt make it bad or wrong~i may not enjoy what you like your freedom as was our's to watch tapout and the hilarious stuff these 3 dudes did~mma/wec/ect will miss mask~i will
I hear when he hit the pole, he had to split!
I heard when he saw his car he was beside himself.
Talk about SPLIT personality's!
Man a nice car like that getting tore up, kinda rips you in TWO!
now now fanboys don't get all TORE up about it. :)
some dick said: The really big questoin here that I know everyone is DIE'ing (hmm is that pun) to know is: Did he at least win the drag race??
what the fuck bro he just died you don't pull tht shit on a forum you arn't being respectful at all and i hope one day you die of a car accident and someon says i hope he at least won the race. or you can get cancer either or.
Shut up already about.
and NICK, stop blowing his memory, let this shit rest for fucksake.
And yeah I would tell you that to your face, so shut up damn it.
Dude fucked up, some of us it pisses off, he wasted his life, so stop blowing him.
NICK BULLOCK AKA WHITE BOY- April 5, 2009 at 9:35 pm
IVE READ ALL THE POSTS AND I HAVE TO SAY SOME PEOPLE ARE REALLY FUCKING STUPID AND PATHETIC. MASK HAD A HUGE HEART FOR YOUNG STRUGGLING FIGHTERS. HE SAW THINGS IN THEM THAT NO ELSE DID OR CARED TO. REGARDLESS IF HE WAS ON TV, WORE FACE MAKE-UP, WAS A BUS DRIVER, A LAWYER, A CASHIER AT GAS STATION, OR EVEN WORE PINK PANTIES. THE MAIN POINT IS THAT IT IS A UNFORTUNATE ENDING TO A GOOD MAN. HE SUPPORTED THE TROOPS AT EVERY CHANCE, HE HAD A GIVING HEART, AND, I THINK FROM WHAT IVE SEEN AND READ ON HIM, A GOOD FRIEND TO THOSE WHO KNEW HIM. AND FOR SOME TO SAY HES A DOUCHE OR HE DESERVES IT OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT IS JUST WRONG. IM NOT SAYING RACING IS RIGHT WHEN OTHERS ARE AT RISK. I HAVE A 2006 SUPED UP GT MUSTANG AND RACE IT. SOBER. ANYWAYS. IM A FIGHTER, I SERVED 6 YRS IN THE ARMY AS A RECON SCOUT AND I TOO CARE FOR THE STRUGGLING UP AND COMING. HE STOOD FOR WHAT I AM. IT CAN HAPPEN TO ANYONE AT ANYTIME. I PRAY FOR HIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS THAT HIS PASSING WILL NOT END WHAT HE STARTED. AND FOR THOSE WHO JUST WANT A REACTION BY MAKING IGNORANT POSTS I PRAY THAT YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILIES NEVER HAVE TO MOURN YOUR PASSING AT A WAY TOO EARLY OF AN AGE. I GUARANTEE YOU WOULD NOT SAY THOSE THINGS TO MY FACE, HIGH TOWERS FACE, PUNK ASSES FACE OR ANY ONE THAT CAN RELATE MASK FACES. OVER A COMPUTER THEY BECOME 6'5" 250 WHEN THEY ARE ACTUALLY 5'5" 250 AND ROUND AS A THEIR HOLLOW HEAD.
MASK I NEVER KNEW YOU PERSONALLY BUT I KNOW YOU WILL BE MISSED MAY GOOD GIVE YOU A CAGE TO ALWAYS BE AROUND, GOD BLESS YOU.
FROM A YOUNG "AMERICAN FIGHTER"
Hey Anonymous, sounds to me like u r the douchebag, and open your mouth on shit that u dont even know what u r talking about, so my advice 2 u is to just shut the fuck up and dont say nothing at all! and on a last note I sure would to see you call MASK a douch in front of punkass ,scrape or even better THE ICE MAN!
NOW THAT WOULD BE FUNNY SHIT TO WATCH YOU EAT YOUR WORDS DOUCHEBAG!!!
In the video they didnt even say it was mask. wtf. why is he like unknown to society, he was an awsome person and believed in great things. and he isnt even know or put in the news
it suck how someone who cared so much about mma that spent so much of his own time to make the mma sport what it is today mask you wont be forgotten. my prayers are with your family
The 360 Modena is a luxury sports coupe not a "racecar", maybe your thinking of the Challenge which was a Modena variant using carbon fiber and lacked the luxuries of the luxury sports coupe.
People don't think they have "driving skills" because they have money, how you draw such a parallel I do not know but I assure you the wealthy people whom believe they have advanced skills as drivers would think that way with or without money. The only difference is that they can afford high end vehicles if they have said money.
As for people wanting to buy cars faster than Tiburons, why not, if they obey the rules of the road, maybe take some professional driving lessons if they wish to open it up and see how it performs at top speed.
As for the chance of them hitting someone you love, I have seen plenty of accidents involving your run of the mill family vehicle where someone has died, I've seen such happen because of driving too fast, too slow or not knowing how to handle the vehicle in some situations, those people could kill someone you love too, heck I've seen Mac trucks kill people before and those drivers are pretty well trained compared to your typical driver. If this is a method of "weeding out the tools" what is the method for weeding out the trolls without spellcheck?
I may not have been a huge fan of Mask or how he expressed himself but he did great deal for the sport and was a pretty talented fighter himself.
You are an asshole. The least you could do is check your grammar before you post something as insensitive as this you douchebag. Better yet you are son of bitch wrapped up in a large bag of motherfucker.
Have some respect for the dead. No fuck you fagget face,ball licking,taking it in the ass bitch. I hope MASK haunts all you shit taking motherfuckers. RIP MASK!!!!!
I usually follow the MMA world and sadly say I just found out about this terrible tragedy on April 1st while watching fight night live. TERRIBLE TERRIBLE LOSS to the world of MMA!!! I did read most of the comments here and have been disgusted with some of the NEGATIVE comments by the Anonymous persons! You should be ashamed of yourselves!!! I wouldnt want anyone talking the way you do if I died and I'm sure you wouldn't either! GROW UP!! Whether MASK was racing or not it's SAD! You can't say you've never sped down your local street or highway or raced your friends. If you claim you have never done so you are a LIAR! I ride sportbikes and will admit YES I have seen how fast my bike goes(169MPH) and have raced on the street as well as the track! I think the driver of the Porsche is responsible in some legal way and should be held accountable for his actions since he was drunk! With that said.......REST IN PEACE "MASK" Charles Lewis,Jr. YOU WILL BE MISSED AND REMEMBERED IN THE WORLD OF MMA!!!!!!
as gay and stupid as i thought mask looked,no one deserves to go out like that...blessings to his friends and family and know that our thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family. r.i.p
I'm tired of idiots who have a little $$ thinkn they can go buy a racecar & just start drivn it, with no history of drivn a racecar. Buyn a honda or hyundai is one thing but a 360 Modena Ferrari is in another world as well as the Porsche. People think that cause they have $$ they have drivn skills. Stop making Ferrari look bad by wreckn their cars cause u never shoulda had one in the 1st place. And, the car is supposed to break in half. Its a monococ design to prevent serious injury. But when you hit a fukn lightpole @ 150mph you may actually fukn die, even in a Ferrari. So all u douche bags that get a lil' $$ & think u should buy a Ferrari or Lamborghini or Porsche or Aston Martin or Skyline or SL or Zonda or Konnegsig or anything faster than a Tiburon DON'T cause your stupid ass may hit me or someone I love. AND when someone dies doing something they caused it proves the world has a way of weeding out the tools.
Lord ..... May Charles "Mask" Lewis Rest in Peace Please Lord comfort him with your love and your warmth. let his soul live on through all the people he was very close too.And never let us forget the great person that he was . And may he never be forgotten My heart go's out to the family for this tragic unfortunate accident that has happened . in Jesus name amen !
R.I.P. Mask You were an angel nobody seems to realize that... it was your pearsonality. God bless you and your family.You made a diffrence in so many lives. Hope Punkass and Skyscrape read this. Take care stay strong love you guys.
r.i.p. mask you were an angel and nobdy sees that god bless your family you were awsome hope punkass and skyscrape read this i still love you guys take care
Wow, I saw this guy on Inside MMA a couple of times and he was just a bright-light, and genuinely nice dude. I'm stunned, and sorrowed. Thought and prayers to his friends and family.
Fighther from american top team- April 1, 2009 at 5:40 pm
R.I.P "MASK" we are going to miss you in fla. You were a cool guy when i met you and thank you for all the advice you gave me i've become a better fighther since we met thank's for everything R.I.P "MASK" were going to miss you
this is a terrible lost of life. have we not learned anything from street racing, their are no lanes, light poles passengers or curbs at the track.their is a time and place for everything and street racing aint one of them. may god rest his sole and embrace the passenger with his everlasting love
How terrible......... I know the guy in the Porsche must fell like crap...But he was being and idiot in driving under the influence and must be punished to the full. Rip Mr. Lewis
WHAT A PIECE OF SHIT THIS GUY WAS, DRUGGED UP, DRUNK, U KNOW THAT IS TRUE, AND NOW THE GIRL IN HIS CAR IS FUCKED FOR LIFE TOO. FUCKING IDIOT WITH TOO MUCH MONEY................
ok anonymous your an idiot mask was not the one intoxicated the other guy was intoxicated and god will strike you down for disrespecting the dead your nothing in this world and are everything scum stands for!!! I have met the tapout crew on several occasions and mask was the friendliest person and very polite, his death has affected myself with millions of others!! he was an honest hard working man following his dream, without a business degree or anything else he built an empire that the rest of us could only dream of!!! so anonymous make your self known as you can not because you are a coward as you could never say nothing to anyones face your a pathetic coward!!! how does it feel to live life hidden from everyone and to be a no named nobody!! MASK you will forever be remembered and loved by all who knew the person you were!!! I cannot remember such a sad day in my life you are an inspiration to all of us that never had the oppurtunity to have rich folks as parents as you went to the top from absolutely nothing!!!!! scrape and punk I hope to see you guys around soon!! SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS!! GOD BLESS!!
I like how each time a celebrity or public figure dies everyone feels like they somehow knew them. I like how the immature idiots who hide behind a keyboard talk through foul mouthed, immature, small minds. I wonder how you will feel when its your mother or your daughter or your wife. I wonder how you would like others to speak about your best friend when they pass no matter how they died. You all think you want fame and money and power yet in the blink of an eye all that the Mask aquired just got past on. You all need to invest in the future of your souls and not the future of your bank accounts. As Frank stands before God I am sure that God doesnt care how much money he aquired or how nice his coffin was. You are here for but a moment in time. How you are remembered by those closest to you is the true measure of who you were and for you moral degenerates hiding behind your pc's what you do when no one is around is the guy you cannot hide from and who you really are. It must be hard waking up each day having to be you. Just know that it is never too late to change and I encourage you all to seek out Jesus Christ before you face your final judgement. Good luck, and God bless.
I was in my office when I heard it was "MAsk". I told a fellow employee who just bought a GT Mustang Convertible to drive safe....March 3rd I get a call from another co-worker that my friend I told to be careful was in a 1am wreck on the freeway...He was driving and the passenger was killed..Rear ended a big rig coming onto the freeway... People please learn something from someone elses mistake!
i think that if he was not fucking trying to show of he would still be alive and the girl that was with him she would not be heart. and also if he used his fucking head he would still be alive and the girl would not be heart.
i think that if he was not racing on the road he would still be alive and the person that was with him would not be heart. and if he used his head and not fucking race the person next to him she would be alive.
Sad? Not really. I liked him too, and he did a lot for the sport, BUT when you play games, (like racing at 100+), be prepared to pay the consequences. He played; he lost. Let's move on.
This is truly a sad day for MMA. Whats even more sad is that people are pointlessly arguing over rediculios shit. This man lost his life and your babbling about who should or should not post somthing....
have some fucking respect.
Rest in Paradise Charles....this sport will miss you.
Her name is Lacey and she seems in stable condition. Everybody please extend your thoughts and prayers to her recovery and the support of both of their families.
anyone that types negative shit about a guy that turned nothing into something and helped low level fighters get their foot in the door is a fucking PRICK . Dont u mother fuckers need to be on some devil worshiping goth site.
MASK was an inspiration to me never missed a show and always rocked TAPOUT gear everywhere , this is SAD and this world is a lessor place with out the big Hommie Charles "Mask" Lewis Jr, we Love you Hommie rest in Peace ,
UPRIZA records
lost for words
VERY well said Derekrva. It is a sad day in the MMA world. A lot of people may have not liked Mask as a person, but you can't deny what he and his guys did for LOTS of MMA fighters and the sport. I think this sport may not be as big as it is if it were not for Mask. We will miss you! R.I.P.
It's really sad to me to see the lack of respect a pioneer of the sport gets when he tragically passes. It also amazes me that the entire story has not came out and yet people are still passing judgement on this man, do you people not have any respect for the dead? Are you going to be upset when you die and people talk to your family about you this way? People who come on here just to troll by talking shit about a dead man (who's family can read this) are some very sad individuals, how are you going to feel when your mom or dad passes and people fucking laugh at you? Have some respect you fourteen year old assholes.
UFC Fan, it's time to get over your bitterness, man. Your mom didn't like you and you have no clue who your dad is, and that's sad, but it's time to move on with your life. Given your obvious genetic defeciancies, I'd say it's best that you never knew your dad - he probably lives under a bridge doing crack with money earned while begging for money with a sign on the street corner.
To some one he was a son, a brother, a best-friend, an ex-boyfriend,Or someone you admire my hearts goes out to all the persons that were touch by this man and my sincere sorrows goes out to his family.
Sincerely: Vic Vaca
P.S
You never know what you had until you lost it R.I.P!
That's what happens when you drive like a moron. You die like one. He could have killed and hurt even more people than he did. This kind of senseless activity hurts everyone. I hope the lady that he injured sues and gets all her medical expenses and a little extra. Then the City of Newport Beach can sue and get there money back for the resources and man hours it took clean up after this fool. It's a shame that he TAPped OUT and had to hurt someone while he did it.
lol, I like how everyone cares more about what he wore before he was killed rather than a person is dead. to all of the people that like to talk shit about things they dont know about, you have an effect on a sport, or anything in the world for that matter, as he and the tapout crew have, then talk your shit. The man was an icon with an I dont give a fk what you think about me attitude. and he had countless MMA names under him and ready to back him up because he knew his shit. have some respect for a fallen icon.
Anon at 11:55 says: "tap out are a bunch of douches, im sure we was drugged up and killed an inocite..."
first off you dumbshit, it's "Innocent". second off, he was the only one that died. learn to read before you speak and/or type. kthx bye
.ask was a close friend of mine & its tragic loss of a brother & a person who actually cares to see others succeed. I own my owne business now thanks to Dan and CHarles. I don't know for sure, but anyone who knows Charles knows he is always out to have fun & like all of us, when we do something wrong, we never really think of the negative possibilities unless something bad happens.
Charles wasn't another rich snob, he was always available for advice & loved to help others succeed.
Shit I remember his dad coaching us when we were young in football. He had a good up bring and was from a good family. Didn't have much, but always a good attitude and always smileing.
I watched the tapout show from time to time and found that mask guy to be a benevolent and very supportive guy when it came to the noname fighters. I think he had a great attitude and a big heart. This is a misfortunate occurance and if we had ferraris it might be hard not to goose the damn thing every once in awhile, why do so many pass judgement even before all the facts are there.
Be careful Kadumel, some retards might think you also write for the news. That's for you, UFC Fan."
Becareful guys you might fucking fall into each others arms and cry your eyes out! Another dumbass, be he known or unknown has died cause he was STUPID!-------thats for you Nate, hey maybe you and Kadumel will jump off a cliff together because of this. :)
waaaaaaa you buncha pussys.
So I guess that's what you would call a knock out..Poor guy didn't even get the chance to tap out...New t-shirt on the horizon...speeding + stupidity = death...screw mask and this pity party...try showing some for his victim.
RIP
These guys helped so many up and coming fighters train full time and give MMA a serious shot. My thoughts and prayers go out to his friends and family.
First of all anyone bagging out the guy WHO HELPED MMA BECOME WHAT IT IS TODAY, YOU ARE A DOUCHEBAG fucking kill yourself. we lost a Soldier of MMA today He will be missed and his Legacy will live on.
get your facts straight. he WAS Not drinking so it was a fucking tragedy . u have no idea how badly this hurts. he WAS an amazing guy and if u actually knew him u would know that so stop bashing him without knowing all the facts. yah street racing is wrong. but he was intoxicated which makes him innocent. that bastard who bumped him was intoxicated hit them.. then fled the scene. now that guy is not innocent and deserves to be in jail where he is. the the one riding shot i am SO CLOSE to her, we are LUCKY she is still alive. i dont know how it happened she is going to be fine.
charles was NOT intoxicated for anyone who thinks he was. the girl is doing fine, she is conscious and going into surgery but she be alright. we are lucky she is still in our lives. however the same can not be said for charles. he was an AWESOME guy who we will all miss dearly. he was the nicest guy i have ever met. so passionate in what he did. im glad they caught the stupid asshole who WAS actually drinking.
FH blathered stupidity:
"the idiot was racing someone when he wrecked. the asshole could of killed more people. street racing doesnt make u cool, it makes u dead. it was no tragic accident, it was his fault..."
I was ready to type that your opinion doesn't count, then I realized your 3rd grade education and inability to construct a sentence took care of that already.
How sad! My thoguhts are with the family. Got a chance to hang with these guys at a non MMA function adn they really are some down to earth normal guys. They deserved any acclaim they got because they worked their asses off to get there!!! Hang in the Punk Ass ans Scrape. Mask wouldn't want you to drop it!
sorry y'all, this is not a tragedy. a tragedy is when something horrible happens to someone innocent, like say, if Mask were to have hit an old homeless lady who was crossing the street while he was attempting to fulfill his obvious lack of self-confidence by street racing a 51 year old who was clearly going through a midlife crisis. (which now turns out to be a end-life crisis, as his life is fucking over, whether or not he survived.)
not trying to be a dick here but let's not glorify this kind of shit. Mask did a lot for mma but when you pull shit like this and die, well... you're just a fucking idiot who got what was coming to you. and i'm betting he'd agree with that 100% if he could.
and if it had been someone you care about riding shotgun with him then you'd think the same thing.
O man, I saw this accident on the way to work at 5am this morning! I have been wondering who it was because there were SO many cop cars and ambulances and I saw the ferrari torn in half with the tarp on it so I said a prayer!!! And they were over on the road dealing with something else so I guess that was the lady :( I just got home from work and the road is still closed so I thought I'd look it up. SO sad :( I'll keep them his family and fans in my thoughts and prayers and I will pray for her too, it was one of the worst accidents I've ever seen. :(
He was only human and sometimes people have a lapse in judgment. Some lapses are more serious than others. This happened and it is a sad thing to read about. But it's even more sad that people can feel good about someone dieing - even if it happened by their own hand. I can't fault him for wanting to speed his car - it'd be hard to own a rocket like that and not get a little urge to open it up, even for just a second. But a second is all it takes sometimes.
Damn. Sounds like a drag race gone bad or something. Regardless, this sucks for the sport. Didn't mind Lewis on the Tapout show. Frankly, found the other dudes more annoying. Still, hope he rests in peace.
My condolences go out to Charles’ family, friends and colleagues. I remember seeing the Tapout crew at a local grappling tourney in Torrance 4 years ago and they went out of their way to talk to everyone there and were as enthusiastic at this little tournament as they were at UFC or WEC events. My prayers go out to the passenger for a full recovery.
What happens if the toxicology report comes back and he was drunk like the driver of the Porsche too?
It sucks that an MMA Apparel/Ambassador for the sport has passed but if it's due to his own negligence and for something as stupid as drunken street racing I, as well you all should shed no tears.
That being said, Hope he finds the big Octagon in the sky and I hope his Fiance will pull through.
THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR JOKES PEOPLE. SOMEONE WHO WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO THE SPORT WE ALL LOVE HAS PASSED, SO SAVE THE JOKES FOR ANOTHER TIME!!!!!! IT'S JUST TO SOON FOR PEOPLE TO BE ASSHOLES. RIP MASK YOU WILL BE MISSED BY ALL THE TRUE MMA FANS. I HOPE THAT YOUR LEGACY IN THE SPORT WILL BE CARRIED ON.
R.I.P. Mask...may you rest with all the Angels in Heaven. I learned a lot listening to what he had to say and most of it was usually very positive. I wish more people could be like that nowadays. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Family & his Friend's. Godspeed.
It's a shame the dude died, but that's what happens when you're being stupid. It's his own fault. What if he had hit another car or something instead of just a lightpole? Don't make this guy out to be some sort of hero. Just be glad that he didn't take anyone innocent out.
Bryan "the irish party popper" Davis- March 11, 2009 at 2:08 pm
Its sad to see so many people fighting about this subject, yes he did a lot for MMA, yes he was a clown, yes he should not have been racing. I think instead of bantering on here for fun at the expense of family, friends and loved ones of Charles, we should all be wondering how to fill the gap in our sport that was left void at his passing. MMA is still a fledgling sport, it has not risen to the level of boxing or football for that matter. When people read the kind of shit that is being written on here it makes us all look like a bunch of meathead brawlers for the dollars. I think we all owe it to ourselves, the sport of MMA and Tapout to support our sport even more with a ticket purchase to an amateur event or even buy a t-shirt from one of the many small teams that are the grass roots to it all. Hell for that matter give to your local high school booster club for the wrestling team. I don't know it all or have answers to much, but I do know that no matter who dies in this sport it still needs to be supported by us, I think everyone at the Tapout Corp. would agree with me.
I wasn't a big fan of TapouT till I saw their show on Versus. I was repeatedly impressed with the way they supported their friends and talent, and in building the sport of MMA.
Mask always seemed interested in the fighters them selves, and not just with their win/loss records. That part of the sport seems to be lacking at times, and it's a shame there's one less person out there doing that.
I'm sure Punkass and Skrape will continue to raise the TapouT banner, but I'm sure it'll never be the same. It's got to be tough to lose such a close freind.
Street racing is bad enough as is. Doing it after 11pm when a staggering number of drivers that are on the road are intoxicated results in something terrible like this. I wouldn't be surprised if they found out Mask was drunk too.
It's hard for some to not see this as two drunk rich douche bags trying to show off which is why we see some disrespect here in the comments. Personally I can't talk crap because I have been in my fair share of street races that could of ended like this.
I was never a big fan of the Tapout guys but like others have said they did a TON for the sport of MMA so I do give them respect for that. RIP Mask.
Wow, my day was going "decent" until i just refreshed my CP Page and seen this shit pop up. Fuck, I never was a fan of the TAPOUT brand mainly because of all the douche bag / coors light drinking bro's you see wearing it. Then I watched the reality show on VS. and gained a new respect for this crew and their name... I never had the chance to meet these guys, but I always seen them around at local events. My coach told me a story a while back of just how hard these dudes busted their asses to get where they are today... from making t-shirts in their garage and traveling to as many fights as they could to get their name out there to a multi-million dollar company... CRAZYNESS.
This sucks for sure, Mask seemed like a down to earth, cool as fuck dude...everytime I've seen him (on t.v., shows, etc).
I know this must be hard on his family, friends and the crew... my deepest condolences to you all...
P.S. all you lames talking shit on this board or straight pussies. Who cares if you don't like how he dressed or his company.. The dude is gone.... Imagine at your fathers funeral a co-worker shows up just to piss on his grave in front of you because he didn't like the hawaiin shirts he chose to wear at work on Fridays.
the idiot was racing someone when he wrecked. the asshole could of killed more people. street racing doesnt make u cool, it makes u dead. it was no tragic accident, it was his fault.
also stfu with the RIP and god bless shit. did god bless him when his car wrecked and crushed his body, probably decapitating him ? religion is for weak bitches.
I agree with all of these comments. I wasn't thrilled with the tapout show but I can't think of a guy who's done as much for the sport. Yes the Gracies elevated MMA to new levels, but those Tapout guys were behind the action making sure the little guys could eat and pay rent. I will always remember him as an ambassador of the sport. May he rest in peace.
I've never been a huge fan of the tapout guys but just like you wrote, they have done more for up and coming fighters than anyone. I believe these three guys love the sport and "mask" will be missed I'm sure
That's sad. Man some of the comments on here are just fucking ridiculous. How about we practice that thing our mom's all taught us about not saying anything unless it's something nice. Have some goddamn decency you fucking soul-less twats.
Yeah, It sucks that he died,(for him) but I can't find it in myself to feel any worse for this guy than any of the other ten thousand people that die in this world each day. SHIT! most people are just sitting around minding their own business when death comes knockin, this dude chose to race some drunk guy in a porsche on a public road. Life sucks, especially when you f**k around.
this is truly a sad day man..even though he was a brash and loud guy..he really cared about anyone who was serious about mma..just through and through a good guy..rest in paradise brother.
Mask Had A Heart of Gold- March 11, 2009 at 1:09 pm
That's what I hate about this website - the hateful people can hide behind their computers in a dark room drinking cheap soda and eating fast food all day looking at porn and diss on people even good people who just passed away. How ridiculously sad can people be. I wish we could confront those bastards
"Wed, 03/11/2009 - 11:55
tap out are a bunch of douches, im sure we was drugged up and killed an inocite, doesnt make him a good man, sorry for the loss but dont feel bad for people driving under the influance"
We don't even know if he was under the influence you idiot!
This is horrible, what a huge loss to the MMA community. They have done great things for the sport and all its fighters. lets never forget the mazing things they have done for mma over the long years.RIP mask, I know that you will see God in heaven, you will be missed dearly.
A bizarre car crash in Newport Beach involving two luxury cars early this morning left one person dead, a second injured, a third arrested for gross vehicular manslaughter and a fourth person was detained by police long enough to sober up.
An acquaintance of the victim identified him as Charles "Mask" Lewis, co-founder of the mixed-martial-arts apparel company TapouT, which also sponsors fighters. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
A Newport Beach Police Department officer who witnessed the wreck and saw a red Ferrari and a white Porsche "spinning out of control" on Jamboree Road between Bison Avenue and East Bluff Drive at 12:57 a.m., Newport Beach Lt. Craig Fox said. The Ferrari "hit the curb and then collided with a pole." The Porsche came to a stop at the scene for a few seconds and then sped away, Fox said.
"It was terrible. It was extensive damage to the vehicle," Fox said, adding that the Ferrari appeared to have split in half.
A woman in the Ferrari was ejected during the accident and taken to a hospital, where she was in stable condition, Fox said. He said police have not determined which one was driving and which one was the passenger.
Police located the Porsche on Bison Avenue just west of Jamboree Road shortly afterward and saw a man and a woman walking away from the car.
"The vehicle had moderate damage and appeared to be consistent with the car involved in the accident on Jamboree," Fox said. "They determined that the male had been driving the Porsche, and he was arrested" for gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, he said.
Police identified the driver of the Porsche as Jeffrey David Kirby, 51, of Costa Mesa, and said his bail was set at $1 million. Newport Beach resident Lynn Marie Nabozny, 32, was a passenger in the Porsche and was arrested for public intoxication. She was released about 7:45 a.m. and will not be formally charged, Fox said. He said the investigation is ongoing but that police identified skid marks at the scene "consistent with excessive speeding."
The speed limit on that stretch of road is 50 mph.
Sheesh! I don't have time to count posts but it seems to me that 10% of us here are mental midgets of the lowest order. Your classlessness in the face of tragedy is witness to your parents' lack of parenting skill and your resulting lack of character. What a tough guy it takes to talk trash when someone has died - that doesn't prove you're tough, it only proves that no one will give a shit when you die. And as much bad karma as you've invested in, I wouldn't be surprised if that wasn't too long coming.
I enjoyed the Tapout TV show and had it as my top priority on Tivo. Those guys allowed me to suspend reality for an hour and imagine how cool it would be traveling the country in a diesel pusher doing what they really enjoy. Mask will be missed by real MMA fans who matter, and trashed by wanna-be lackys who see a loser in the foggy mirror every morning.
I really enjoyed their show and I was thinking as I drove past the holiday inn in crystal lake where they stayed (when filiming for vs) of when the next season was going to air.
UFC fan. You sure are a tough guy. The way you stand in defiance of a request to not talk shit about someone's friend who died. No one's gonna tell you what to do; like Burt Reynolds in the flesh.
Member Since: 8/11/07
Posts: 27525
TapouT Radio, DIESEL
It is confirmed. It was Charles. People, please refrain from fucked up shit. I will make sure personlly to see your ass off this board."
Fuck you Kadumel, what are you gonna do about it if anyone wants to say anything against mask...fuck tapout, fuck mask, and fuck you...NOW get busy getting me off this board. stupid talk from a stupid user.
The dude was racing on a public road... He was a grown ass man, who should have been thinking more clearly than to do that on a public roadway... The guy in the Porsche shouldnt be charged with Lewis' death as Lewis' was an equal, if not more, of a contributor to his own demise... He was in a position to realize it was a poor idea and slow his car down, instead he chose to continue and press his luck, it ran out...
I thought he was the OWNER of Tap-Out and those other guys were his Homies? Does anyone know how much of the company he owned? Im just curious... I always kinda liked him...
He also just got his teeth fixed... Frank Shamrock better not do any rode racing in the future!!!
I really didn't care for the Tapout crew. Especially Mask. I totally agree with them contributing to the "meathead" stereotype of MMA and it's fans. But I agree 110% that those guys do more for young fighters in the sport than anyone else out there. They love the sport, and they support it through the work they do. It is a terrible loss for the MMA community and for all the young fighters out there. I sincerely hope Tapout continues on in MMA. That's what Mask would have wanted.
Even though everyone talked a lot of shit on those guys, you have to give them credit for what they were able to accomplish. This is horrible news, nobody wants to see something like this happen. God rest his soul.
Can't some IP bans be handed out to those idiots that think they can hide behind an Anonymous name?
Ah, but then again this board has never been known/driven by it's intelligent, mature and respectful community...
Anonymous Says:
Wed, 03/11/2009 - 12:07
R u a fucken idiot. Mask wasn't driving a porsche he was driving a lambo. Damn, even a fucken pre schooler would have gotten that.
RIP Mask
definately not a lambo, im gonna refrain from calling you an r-tard...but you know it..
Mask did a lot for the sport of MMA. Hopefully Tapout will be able to continue to do business by making awesome shirts still. His character and attitude will be missed by the MMA world.
Ive been seeing the news, and yes, it was Charles that died in that car accident. I heard the news also say that the other car deliberately hit Charles' car which caused it to crash into the pole. In other words, Charles was not at fault for loosing control of his car. Also, an unnamed source working in the coroner's office said that the accident was pretty bad to the point of having difficulty identifying Charles. Poor Charles....my condolenses to his family and the TAP OUT team. May he rest in peace.
Tapou / MMA Fan for Life- March 11, 2009 at 12:05 pm
Wow... thats messed up. This man has built a coorporation that has brought MMA into all of our lives. Without Tapout MMA would be a dead sport. My thoughts and prayers go out to Charles "Mask" Lewis and his famiy. This is truly a tragedy among the MMA world.
Yeah... it's sad news regardless of his notoriety. It's sad when anyone pointlessly and unnecessarily dies in a situation like that. But as friend of someone who lost his fiance as a result of someone else' s similar stupid behavior, I'm glad it was a pole he hit and not another innocent car full of kids, parents, etc.
As stated above... just because you can doesn't mean you should.
Ok, to clear it up, they are saying there is another car in the picture, a white porsche, they arrested that guy for vehicular manslaughter because he was intoxicated. They are saying that the seen is consistent with the porsche and the ferarri hitting eachother.
Damn that is pretty unfortunate. That area is like 10 minutes away from me, fucking crazy.
Assholes speed down that part of jamboree like its the autobahn. Hope this wakes up a couple rich newport douche bags to keep their luxary sports cars down to a decen speed....assholes.
tap out are a bunch of douches, im sure we was drugged up and killed an inocite, doesnt make him a good man, sorry for the loss but dont feel bad for people driving under the influance
Wow this is terrible news for his family and friends. I think he built the company up enough to have a long legacy...I just hope they keep up the fighter sponsorship, I know Mask was a huge part of that.
They arrested the owner of the Porsche that was racing him. The driver of the Ferrari (Mask) died and his female passenger was ejected and critically injured. They arrested the driver of the Porsche for gross vehicular manslaughter, probably not for bumping the Ferrari but partaking in a street race that ended up in someone dying. Therefore, the driver of the Porsche is legally responsible. Hope that clears stuff up!
the driver of the porsche was arrested...(to answer whoever thought they arrested a corpse)
rubbing isnt racing with lanes, maybe in a steve mcqueen backwood light'em up, but you dont "rub" 300k cars. but then again you dont race with invalubles shotgun.
Tapout did a shit load for promoting up and coming fighters, I just saw Cowboy (replay) on WEC/Versus last night.
Sure their company was inyaface, but they redistributed tons of the money they earned right back into the sport ...
fuck :/
not to mention, their show on Vs was entertaining to watch, and really gave insight to the ignorant on just how hard amateur fighters train / what all does it take to get to where they want to be.
kadumel was posting what Crooklyn said on the UG. Apparently Crooklyn has close ties to Tapout so I could see him not wanting to see a bunch of heinous posts.
Don't be a dumbass Anonymous at 11:29. He clearly copy/pasted that from the UG. You, my friend, are the fucking idiot.
I always liked the TapouT show because it showed the behind the scenes action of all the fighters which I think is pretty interesting. Mask, and that company has done a lot for the sport, and their "inyaface" mentality actually had a lot of success for their product. Sucks this happened.
While granted death at such an early age is very tragic, And especially to a person who has worked so hard and helped so many in his endeavors, Really Kadumel you think threatening on MMA message board will deter any "fucked up shit" personally I wouldn't Insult Mask, I would insult you who are you his fairy god mother? are you gonna be on every message board on every website when anyone in this world dies? LMAO WTF where were you when Evan passed? Or any of the other 100s of people before this You my friend are a fucking idiot!
My question is who the HELL wrote that news article? Whatever journalism school they "graduated" from should have their credentials revoked. I have seen small town newspaper with clearer writing.
Tragic news, very sad indeed. My thoughts are with his family and hopes are with his girl. They were a loud rowdy bunch, but that is kinda why they made it.
Uncle Sams Misguided Child (USMC)- March 11, 2009 at 11:27 am
Horrible news I enjoyed watching Tapout's reality show and always said how bad ass it would be to hang out with those guys someday. They had a comrodire that was equall only to our service men and women. My thoughts and prayers go out to Charles and his family as well as the Tapout crew.
Member Since: 8/11/07
Posts: 27525
TapouT Radio, DIESEL
It is confirmed. It was Charles. People, please refrain from fucked up shit. I will make sure personlly to see your ass off this board.
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a great man has just fallen!
RIP Charles "Mask" Lewis