Sports personality and professional rally driver, Ken Block, perished in a snowmobile accident on Jan, 2, 2023, in the state of Utah in the US.

The news was confirmed by Hoonigan, the brand and racing team founded by Ken Block. He was 55 years old.

Block was a co-founder of DC shoes, before eventually entering professional motorsports despite already being in his 40s at the time. Block competed in many extreme sports but is best known for his efforts in rally and rallycross.

Since his start in professional motorsports, Block was closely supported by Ford Performance for a lengthy 11 years before parting ways with the brand and eventually teaming up with Audi.

While he was a prolific figure in the motorsports community, Block had yet to win a championship in either rally and rallycross series. He did, however, make a name for himself, developing the Hoonigan brand and creating the much-loved Gymkhana video series. In the video series, Block, demonstrated his skill driving a variety of vehicles around a number of US and European cities and landmarks with high precision, sliding through courses and streets at high speed.

"It's with our deepest regrets that we can confirm that Ken Block passed away in a snowmobile accident today," a statement from Hoonigan says. "Ken was a visionary, a pioneer, and an icon. And most importantly, a father and a husband."

Block was riding his snowmobile on a steep slope when it "upended, landing on top of him," local police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Block will be dearly missed in the motorsports scene, however, it won’t be the last we see of the Block name as his wife Lucy and daughter Lia have also taken to rally driving. The Gymkhana series of videos may well continue as Hoonigan team mate, Travis Pastrana, took over the reigns in the last video.

Block is survived by his wife, Lucy, three children, and two huskies.