Legendary surfing champion Derek Ho dead at 55

HONOLULU — Derek Ho, the first men’s professional surfing champion to hail from Hawaii, died Friday. He was 55.

Ho died after suffering a heart attack, KHON reported.

Ho won the Triple Crown four times, winning his first title in 1984 when he was 20, the Star-Advertiser reported.

“It’s not like I got big and fat and can’t surf anymore,” Ho told the Honolulu Advertiser in 2007. “I guess it’s just a love for the ocean. I love being out there and I still feel like I have a drive to compete.”

In 1993, Ho became the first Hawaiian native to claim a world championship under the banner of the Association of Surfing Professionals, now known as the World Surf League, KHON reported.

Derek Ho, 1993 World Champion, has passed away at 55. The four-time Triple Crown Winner and two-time Pipe Master has left an indelible mark on the international surfing world and has been a pillar of the North Shore community for five decades. Our hearts are with his loved ones. pic.twitter.com/kyrCzUlBuJ
— World Surf League (@wsl) July 18, 2020

Ho and his older brother, Michael Ho, were dominant forces on the North Shore of Hawaii during the 1980s and 1990s, the Star-Advertiser reported.

Pro surfer and musician Landon McNamara shared an Instagram video, writing, “I love you Uncle D thank you for paving the way and being an inspiration for a GoofyFooter. The NorthShore, The surfing world, and Pipeline will never be the same again.”

View this post on Instagram

You can see at the start of this clip me pulling back, and the only reason is because I saw Uncle Derek Ho going for it, and I’m not even gonna try to say I gave him the wave because in my eyes any wave he wanted out there was his, that’s the respect I had for him and how much of an idol he was to me. Im lucky enough to have shared sessions like this with him, some good times, and inspirational one liners he’d throw my way every now and than that I’ll never forget. I love you Uncle D thank you for paving the way and being an inspiration for a GoofyFooter. The NorthShore, The surfing world, and Pipeline will never be the same again. All my love going out to all the HO Ohana, if you need anything I’ll be there! R.I.Paradise Uncle D

A post shared by Landon Mcnamara (@landon_mcnamara) on Jul 17, 2020 at 11:23pm PDT