technology communication: Ryan Dunn Had A 'Pure, Open Heart,' Says Johnny Knoxville

Monday, June 27, 2011

Ryan Dunn Had A 'Pure, Open Heart,' Says Johnny Knoxville

Knoxville and 'Jackass' director Jeff Tremaine blog about Dunn and Zach Hartwell who were killed in last week's car crash.
By Gil Kaufman

Johnny Knoxville attends the memorial service for Ryan Dunn on June 22
Photo: Amy Dragoo/ AP Images

The memorial service for Ryan Dunn last Wednesday was such an emotional event that his "Jackass" co-star Johnny Knoxville could barely get out the words to pay tribute to his friend and fellow daredevil, who died in a high-speed car crash last Monday.

"I walked to the podium and tried to share memories of my dear friend, but the words were just spinning in my head," wrote Knoxville in an emotional, touching blog post on the website of "Jackass" production company Dickhouse. "What came out were the mumblings of a man trying his best not to cry, and I wasn't even successful at that. I didn't break down, because I knew [Dunn's girlfriend] Angie or his family didn't need to see that, but I also didn't get to properly convey what Ryan meant to me. I won't be able to do that here either, but I will try. Here is what I wished I could have told everyone then."

What follows in the blog entry is a moving tribute to Dunn, who officials said had a blood-alcohol content more than twice the legal limit when he drove his Porsche off the road at 140 mph, killing himself and his friend Zachary Hartwell.

"I felt 34 percent funnier when I was with Ryan, but I guess everyone did," Knoxville wrote. "He had such a hair trigger laugh reflex. He lived his life wanting to laugh and wanting you to laugh with him. He would cackle really f---ing loud, too, and it wasn't uncommon that he would fall over from it. Sometimes I would fall with him because his spirit was very contagious. He wasn't incapable of seriousness, though. Ryan was a great listener. If you were having troubles, he was always someone you could go sit down and talk to. Granted, most of our sitting down was actually standing up playing pool together, but he was always there if you were sad about something. That's why all this is even harder, because right now I really need to talk to him but I can't."

Knoxville wrote of Dunn's "enormous" capacity to love, which he shared with his friends and beloved Angie, whom Dunn was constantly talking up, wondering how he managed to land such a catch despite what Johnny joked were his iffy hygiene habits. "It sure wasn't because of the way he smelled that's for sure," Knoxville said of Dunn, who he revealed "despised" water and rarely bathed. "It was because he had a pure, open heart, and many other qualities of which I am writing about now."

He praised Dunn's capacity for loyalty, a prized quality among a crew that often lived to undermine each other with surprise stunts. "Whether it was a bit for 'Jackass,' a friend in need, or his beloved Angie, Dunn was as loyal as they come," he wrote. "Ryan, I had to go wake up [my daughter] Madison and tell her you were gone. Do you know how hard that was?!! She loved you so much and I know you loved her, so why, buddy? [My son] Rocko will never get to know you like she did, nor will my daughter that is coming in October. I cry a lot about that."

He said that one of his favorite songwriters, Roger Alan Wade, penned a song for Dunn, lamenting that his pal would never get to hear it. "I'm starting to ramble now, just like I did at the memorial, so I'll stop," he concluded. "You'll have to excuse me, I'm just very sad because I lost my brother and my world got about 134 percent less funny. I don't know what else to say right now, so I will close with I love you, Ryan. I have a lot of emotions swirling, but I want you to know I love you so very much."

"Jackass" director Jeff Tremaine wrote a blog in honor of Hartwell, whose memory he wanted to make sure was honored alongside his famous friend Dunn.

"Ryan first introduced us to Zach in 2006 when we went to West Chester to shoot 'Jackass Number Two.' We ended up hiring him as a production assistant for the two weeks we were there filming," Tremaine wrote. "Zach and Ryan hung out all the time and they had similar mannerisms and senses of humor; therefore, I got along with him right away."

Tremaine then shared a few stories about Hartwell's antics, which he warned were always pretty gross. He recalled some scatological revenge Iraq war veteran Hartwell took on one of the "Jackass" producers, Trip Taylor, which included making sure Taylor never used his pillow again.

"We hung out every night after filming, and right away it felt like we had been friends for a long time," Tremaine said. "One of these nights, we were out shooting pool, and I had an impossible shot. I bet Zach that if I made it he would have to drink a glass of pee — mine. I hit the shot and he honored the bet. I know it sounds disgusting, but my pee isn't that bad. In fact, Knoxville hardly ever notices whenever I pee in his drinks. Aside from all these pranks, Zach took his job for us seriously and worked really hard. I appreciated him very much and will always consider him my friend. Rest in peace, brother."

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