Friend shares memories of skateboarder Marc Johnson who died at age 49
Interview with Marc Johnson's friend, on death of skateboarding legend
Legendary skateboarder Marc Johnson died at the age of 49 Tuesday, according to Johnson's close friend Louie Barletta, who spoke with KTVU about Johnson's rise from living in a trailer in North Carolina, to living a California dream as a world-renowned skateboarder whose talent and creativity put San Jose on the skateboard map.
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Marc Johnson, a professional skateboarder who is credited with putting San Jose on the skateboard map, has died, according to a friend's post in Thrasher Magazine.
Johnson, 49, died on Tuesday, according to his close friend Louie Barletta, who shared his thoughts with KTVU in an interview, and in his emotional Thrasher post.
Johnson's ride to the top
"It's tough, because he's not like a world-class skateboarder to me. He's this 17-year-old kid that I met 30 years ago, you know, like he's just this little boy who came out here to live a dream," Barletta said over the phone on Wednesday.
That dream took Johnson from humble beginnings growing up in a trailer in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to California, where he put San Jose on the skateboard map. He reached the top of the skateboarding scene with major deals and created a company enjoin with his friends.
"Marc was a prolific artist when we lived together. He created so much art. He was really good at coming up with company names and company ideas," Barletta said.
Johnson's videos, such as the TransWorld SKATEboarding's "Modus Operandi" in 2000, were exciting and inspiring for generations of skateboarders.
"He was effortless. That's the thing about Marc Johnson, he made everything look so easy when these tricks that he was doing are actually super hard," Robert Collinson, CEO of Lowcard Magazine, said.
"A lot of people when they do a skate park, they do one song, two songs, but he did three songs. That's just legendary," Lar Johnson, owner of Break Free Skate Shop in Oakland, said. "Free-form creativity from the brain to the board, legs, to the feet…lips, manuals, gaps, rails, ledges, flat ground."
The grief and heartache over Johnson's death was evident in the stream of condolences and tributes from around the world, posted on Thrasher and TransWorld SKATEboarding websites.
Barletta says what made Marc Johnson more than just a skateboarding legend, was his big and generous heart.
"A lot of people get to be good at something because they're selfish and focused on just themselves. And a lot of Marc's journey was actually helping others out and getting them to realize their goals and dreams as well," Barletta said.
Skateboarder "genius and tortured soul"
What they're saying:
In the emotional tribute to Johnson on Tuesday, Barletta said that he had seen Johnson just a month ago, when Johnson came back to San Jose and visited some of his old skate sites.
Johnson was "sober, healthy and full of life," according to Barletta.
Barletta said that when he dropped Johnson off at the airport, he never imagined that his longtime friend would be gone such a short time later.
Barletta says when Johnson visited him, he gave Barletta a three-page wish list of his hopes and dreams.
"Marc was a genius and a tortured soul," Barletta said.
A cause of death was not immediately disclosed.
Skateboarding community reaction
Other online skater communities also got wind of the news.
Jarez Perez posted in Skaters Over 30, that Johnson was his "all-time favorite pro skater."
Chuck Knode wrote that he has a lot of favorite skateboarders, "but when but when people would ask who mine was, I’d always say Marc. He was so talented and yet so human too. He always made me feel like anything was possible if you were able to imagine it. I know that’s cliché AF but something about how he conveyed that was truly magic."
Boardworld, a skateboard shop in Sydney, Australia, posted a video titled "RIP to the greatest Marc Johnson 1977-2026," showing him doing tricks on railings and stairs.
The San Francisco Chronicle wrote that Johnson was part of the San Jose scene that produced the Tilt Mode Army, a loose crew of skateboarders and filmmakers whose videos showcased Northern California.
Johnson’s national image reached its height in 2007, when Thrasher named him Skater of the Year. That same year, the Chronicle reported that he took part in Lakai’s "Fully Flared," one of the defining video sections of its era.
Barletta says the community is in shock, but he hopes there will be a tribute and memorial for Johnson in the future.
The Source: Thrasher, friend Louie Barletta, skateboarding websites, San Francisco Chronicle