Author Topic: RIP Thomas Taylor  (Read 16550 times)

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Kerry “GRIND” King

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Re: RIP Thomas Taylor
« Reply #30 on: February 24, 2023, 09:09:10 AM »
What a fucking bummer! Condolences to the Taylor family. RIP to a true skate rat

lurker_and_poster

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Re: RIP Thomas Taylor
« Reply #31 on: February 24, 2023, 11:10:27 AM »
The community lost a real one - Skateboarding pillar and royalty.
My thought are with his family and friends.

bartlaser

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Re: RIP Thomas Taylor
« Reply #32 on: February 24, 2023, 01:33:15 PM »
At my old job, we partnered with Thomas and his shop to throw a contest. I was coming in as an agency guy with a big soda brand as my client.  I was already aware of the shop and ATL scene, and a bit intimidate going into it.  Thomas was so cool and great to work with.  His love for skating and fostering its growth in an authentic way was apparent.  I really appreciate how cool and welcoming he was to me.

I remember we were driving around town with him and one of the locs, doing errands before the contest.  We passed Grant at an intersection and Thomas made some funny joke about him, talking a little shit as Grant drove by.  Such a fun and memorable weekend.

RIP to a real one.  That dude was awesome.

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Re: RIP Thomas Taylor
« Reply #33 on: February 24, 2023, 04:04:30 PM »
Major bummer. Never met Thomas, but heard his name mentioned a lot as a teenager growing up in North Carolina.

Friends who had been to, or were from Atlanta introduced me to Stratosphere skate shop and it was apparent just how next level the scene that had grown around that shop was.

RIP.

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Re: RIP Thomas Taylor
« Reply #34 on: February 24, 2023, 04:46:21 PM »
RIP thomas taylor. skateboarding would not be the same without you. thoughts going out to all his family and friends.

if anyone is not familiar, the best comparison i can think of is that he was the jim thiebaud or steve rodriguez of the south east US.

MrDuckey

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Re: RIP Thomas Taylor
« Reply #35 on: February 24, 2023, 07:53:40 PM »
Any word on the cause?

Mike Oxwelling

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Re: RIP Thomas Taylor
« Reply #36 on: February 24, 2023, 09:21:40 PM »
Dude ripped.   Check his useless wood toys part.   RIP Thomas

The real veganshawn

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Re: RIP Thomas Taylor
« Reply #37 on: February 24, 2023, 09:32:50 PM »
Any word on the cause?

Heard heart attack
Cocteau Twins

sid vicious

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Re: RIP Thomas Taylor
« Reply #38 on: February 24, 2023, 09:42:20 PM »
Heavy news RIP

DCLOVE

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Re: RIP Thomas Taylor
« Reply #39 on: February 24, 2023, 09:54:14 PM »
Not sure if I met the guy when I visited stratosphere but grant and some people showed up mid way through me setting up a board and they gave us directions to some spots.
You could tell just by everyone’s energy in the shop dude had created something really cool and wholesome in that scene. Just the excitement and stoke they all had just hanging in the shop on a Monday afternoon was sick. I’m hurting for that community right now. RIP to a legend.
PINE 2009, 2010, 2011, 2020, PINE STILL MAKIN' MONEY.

modern life is war

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Re: RIP Thomas Taylor
« Reply #40 on: February 25, 2023, 01:30:21 AM »
Man grant and his dad seemed like best friends, i hope grant is doing alright.
You’re a Florida native, aren’t you?

layzieyez

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Re: RIP Thomas Taylor
« Reply #41 on: February 25, 2023, 09:33:34 AM »
I had to delete the other post I had made and instead decided to edit my original post. It's difficult getting it all out.

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Re: RIP Thomas Taylor
« Reply #42 on: February 25, 2023, 10:23:24 AM »
Met him back in 2018 & he’d be at the shop when I’d stop in as I go to GA a couple of times a year for family. Super nice & pretty unhinged but in a harmless manner. Went on about the one shop shirt & how they won’t be as good as the one I bought as the artist was “going on meds”. Regardless, great shop, kind staff & truly a shame.

CrappyChan

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Re: RIP Thomas Taylor
« Reply #43 on: February 25, 2023, 10:40:08 AM »
Expand Quote
Any word on the cause?
[close]

Heard heart attack
Not a heart attack, stomach issues.
"From Todd Falcon to Tony Hawk, the Ben Raybourn story"


Dark Knight

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Re: RIP Thomas Taylor
« Reply #44 on: February 25, 2023, 04:41:38 PM »
Sad to hear.  RIP

aleksander

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Re: RIP Thomas Taylor
« Reply #45 on: February 25, 2023, 05:35:40 PM »
Noooooo. It's hard to overstate how much this dude did for Atlanta skating. Stratosphere was the only real shop in the city for years. From Torque Skateboards to skating the 40-yard to raising one of the greatest ever, Thomas was 100% skater. Rip in peace.
"Let's just do something stupid and ridiculous and just be as fucking regular as we possibly can."

The real veganshawn

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Re: RIP Thomas Taylor
« Reply #46 on: February 25, 2023, 07:30:45 PM »
Expand Quote
Expand Quote
Any word on the cause?
[close]

Heard heart attack
[close]
Not a heart attack, stomach issues.
Thanks for the clarification
Cocteau Twins

Orangepulp1000

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Re: RIP Thomas Taylor
« Reply #47 on: February 26, 2023, 05:21:43 AM »
R.I.P

bluntfullofmid

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Re: RIP Thomas Taylor
« Reply #48 on: February 28, 2023, 11:43:25 AM »
Noooooo. It's hard to overstate how much this dude did for Atlanta skating. Stratosphere was the only real shop in the city for years. From Torque Skateboards to skating the 40-yard to raising one of the greatest ever, Thomas was 100% skater. Rip in peace.
not to be that person but lets not forget Ruin, IMO, was the best shop ITP and OTP. no cool guy energy was ever detected there, where as strat kinda rode the coat tail of GT
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jorge

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Re: RIP Thomas Taylor
« Reply #49 on: February 28, 2023, 12:12:28 PM »
Expand Quote
Noooooo. It's hard to overstate how much this dude did for Atlanta skating. Stratosphere was the only real shop in the city for years. From Torque Skateboards to skating the 40-yard to raising one of the greatest ever, Thomas was 100% skater. Rip in peace.
[close]
not to be that person but lets not forget Ruin, IMO, was the best shop ITP and OTP. no cool guy energy was ever detected there, where as strat kinda rode the coat tail of GT
You kinda are being "that guy" posting that here.  There is "cool guy" energy at Strat because that crew is sick and yeah that shit is exclusive, you don't get to just walk in and instantly hang out with everyone there. Strat > Ruin all day.  One is (was) a skate shop outside the city the other is like the headquarters of skateboarding for the south and has been since he was on Cheshire Bridge.

bluntfullofmid

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Re: RIP Thomas Taylor
« Reply #50 on: February 28, 2023, 12:45:42 PM »
Expand Quote
Expand Quote
Noooooo. It's hard to overstate how much this dude did for Atlanta skating. Stratosphere was the only real shop in the city for years. From Torque Skateboards to skating the 40-yard to raising one of the greatest ever, Thomas was 100% skater. Rip in peace.
[close]
not to be that person but lets not forget Ruin, IMO, was the best shop ITP and OTP. no cool guy energy was ever detected there, where as strat kinda rode the coat tail of GT
[close]
You kinda are being "that guy" posting that here.  There is "cool guy" energy at Strat because that crew is sick and yeah that shit is exclusive, you don't get to just walk in and instantly hang out with everyone there. Strat > Ruin all day.  One is (was) a skate shop outside the city the other is like the headquarters of skateboarding for the south and has been since he was on Cheshire Bridge.
i never got cool guyed at strat because i had been skating in atlanta since the mid 2000's and knew people who hung around the shop but I have had friends, who live in atlanta, and acquaintances from out of town saying say they felt the energy when they went in there. respect to Tom and GT for everything they did for the scene but Ian and everyone over at Ruin were so much more conversational and were never too cool to help someone or have a random 30 minute conversation about wheelbase and other random skate nerd shit. Ruin also just had a way more of a selection of product which is why it was my homebase for the longest
"yall act like abusin' women is so bad."
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ghost of barry white

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Re: RIP Thomas Taylor
« Reply #51 on: March 01, 2023, 02:57:30 PM »
Has cause of death been revealed? Typical deaths are always detailed as car accident, natural causes, etc... It's usually never revealed unless its accidental OD or suicide.

Sleazy

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Re: RIP Thomas Taylor
« Reply #52 on: March 01, 2023, 03:38:26 PM »
RIP and condolences to the family.

appreciate the shares in here about the life and videos and all that. seems like he lived an epic life.

Jim and Dan

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Re: RIP Thomas Taylor
« Reply #53 on: March 02, 2023, 06:08:11 PM »
Has cause of death been revealed? Typical deaths are always detailed as car accident, natural causes, etc... It's usually never revealed unless its accidental OD or suicide.

My girlfriend, who isn't in the skate bubble but is certainly in the social media bubble said to me the other day, "Did you know Thomas Taylor committed suicide"? Not trying to pry into anyone's personal stuff but if true, I feel his and his families pain... Suicide is a serious issue in today's hyper-stress inducing society and I hope we can erase the stigma of seeking help, as it takes more of a person to ask for help when it's necessary instead of ignoring it or seeing it as weakness. The loss of Ben and especially Henry hit me really hard the last couple of years (not to mention Rusty), as I too suffer from constant suicidal ideation that can be a subconscious coping mechanism at the best of times and literal soul-crippling hellscape at the worst of times. We're just not meant to live the way our society has dictated as the "proper" path and even those outside that mold are susceptible to the pressures of being a human-being in an extremely fast-paced and stressful world, but I'll get off my soapbox for now.

Again, my deepest condolences to his friends, family and all the lives he touched.
Roll for Rusty, Frip, Dapple and Tate



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layzieyez

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Re: RIP Thomas Taylor
« Reply #54 on: March 03, 2023, 06:44:40 AM »
Expand Quote
Expand Quote
Expand Quote
Noooooo. It's hard to overstate how much this dude did for Atlanta skating. Stratosphere was the only real shop in the city for years. From Torque Skateboards to skating the 40-yard to raising one of the greatest ever, Thomas was 100% skater. Rip in peace.
[close]
not to be that person but lets not forget Ruin, IMO, was the best shop ITP and OTP. no cool guy energy was ever detected there, where as strat kinda rode the coat tail of GT
[close]
You kinda are being "that guy" posting that here.  There is "cool guy" energy at Strat because that crew is sick and yeah that shit is exclusive, you don't get to just walk in and instantly hang out with everyone there. Strat > Ruin all day.  One is (was) a skate shop outside the city the other is like the headquarters of skateboarding for the south and has been since he was on Cheshire Bridge.
[close]
i never got cool guyed at strat because i had been skating in atlanta since the mid 2000's and knew people who hung around the shop but I have had friends, who live in atlanta, and acquaintances from out of town saying say they felt the energy when they went in there. respect to Tom and GT for everything they did for the scene but Ian and everyone over at Ruin were so much more conversational and were never too cool to help someone or have a random 30 minute conversation about wheelbase and other random skate nerd shit. Ruin also just had a way more of a selection of product which is why it was my homebase for the longest
I didn't want to do this but I feel like this has to be addressed.

Pre-Olympics Atlanta was a whole different beast. "How many times have you ran into a crackhead in Cracklanta?" is all I gotta ask.

Frank

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Re: RIP Thomas Taylor
« Reply #55 on: March 03, 2023, 02:44:52 PM »
RIP

CrappyChan

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Re: RIP Thomas Taylor
« Reply #56 on: March 04, 2023, 04:07:48 PM »
Expand Quote
Has cause of death been revealed? Typical deaths are always detailed as car accident, natural causes, etc... It's usually never revealed unless its accidental OD or suicide.
[close]

My girlfriend, who isn't in the skate bubble but is certainly in the social media bubble said to me the other day, "Did you know Thomas Taylor committed suicide"? Not trying to pry into anyone's personal stuff but if true, I feel his and his families pain... Suicide is a serious issue in today's hyper-stress inducing society and I hope we can erase the stigma of seeking help, as it takes more of a person to ask for help when it's necessary instead of ignoring it or seeing it as weakness. The loss of Ben and especially Henry hit me really hard the last couple of years (not to mention Rusty), as I too suffer from constant suicidal ideation that can be a subconscious coping mechanism at the best of times and literal soul-crippling hellscape at the worst of times. We're just not meant to live the way our society has dictated as the "proper" path and even those outside that mold are susceptible to the pressures of being a human-being in an extremely fast-paced and stressful world, but I'll get off my soapbox for now.

Again, my deepest condolences to his friends, family and all the lives he touched.
It wasn't OD or suicide. It was organ failure brought on by living a full life.
"From Todd Falcon to Tony Hawk, the Ben Raybourn story"


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Re: RIP Thomas Taylor
« Reply #57 on: March 10, 2023, 11:28:26 AM »
beautiful tribute https://www.thrashermagazine.com/articles/rip-in-peace-thomas-taylor/

big Love to the Taylor family/ATL scene


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Re: RIP Thomas Taylor
« Reply #58 on: March 10, 2023, 11:36:24 AM »
Has cause of death been revealed? Typical deaths are always detailed as car accident, natural causes, etc... It's usually never revealed unless its accidental OD or suicide.

Or, you know, it's a totally private matter which is none of our business.
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Ignatius J Reilly

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Re: RIP Thomas Taylor
« Reply #59 on: March 10, 2023, 04:07:30 PM »
Expand Quote
Has cause of death been revealed? Typical deaths are always detailed as car accident, natural causes, etc... It's usually never revealed unless its accidental OD or suicide.
[close]

Or, you know, it's a totally private matter which is none of our business.

guy two posts above you all but confirmed it was alcohol-related:
It wasn't OD or suicide. It was organ failure brought on by living a full life.

all due respect to thomas and his massive legacy but let's not romanticize his passing like that. alcohol is a killer that's needlessly robbed skateboarding of so many major figures and while thomas did more than most of us will ever do in our lifetimes, dying at 55 of organ failure is hardly a "full life."