Legendary Skateboarder Jay Adams Dead At 53

Legendary skateboarder and one of the original Z-Boys, Jay Adams, died of a heart attack Thursday.

His longtime friend, and fellow Lord of Dogtown, Stacy Peralta, broke the news via Instagram.

“I just received the terribly sad news that Jay Adams passed away last night due to a massive heart attack, send your love.” —Stacy Peralta

Adams was played by actor Emile Hirsch in the movie Lords of Dogtown. He was also featured in the documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys.

Courtesy of Stephen Shugerman / Stringer / Getty

The skateboarding community gave their condolences via social media as well.

“Goodbye Jay Adams. Thank you for inspiring us to get vertical and to keep pushing the limits of what is possible.” —Tony Hawk.