Despite rumors of his death, skateboarder and San Diegan Tony Hawk is still alive and pitchin’.
After tweets began circulating that Hawk had passed, an unknown Facebook user created a page titled “R.I.P. Tony Hawk (1968 - 2011).”
Over 22,000 people ‘liked’ the page.
“It's bad seeing rumors of your own death, but 22,000 ‘likes’ really sucks,” Hawk wrote on his Facebook page to dispel the rumors.
Spokeswoman Sarah Hall said she had no idea how the rumors got started, but they’ve turned into something of a joke now.
“Tony is a terrific sport and had a great sense of humor about it,” Hall said.
Hawk himself is going along with the jok, and has taken the opportunity to help spread the word about his ceremonial first pitch at Friday night’s Padres game for Tony Hawk Foundation Night.
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“Watch my ghost throw out the first pitch tonight for the Padres,” he wrote on his Facebook wall.
The foundation raises money to put skate parks in lower-income communities. The first 5,000 people to buy tickets to Friday’s game through his website will get a commemorative Tony Hawk bobble-head doll – potentially worth a bit more to those who still believe the rumors.
