Pablo Ramirez (February 10, 1993 – April 23, 2019) was a

regular-footed In human biology, footedness is the natural preference of one's left or right foot for various purposes. It is the foot equivalent of handedness. While purposes vary, such as applying the greatest force in a certain foot to complete the action of ...

American

skateboarder Skateboarding is an action sport that involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry job, and a method of transportation. Originating in the United Stat ...

, artist, and musician from

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, who lived and skated in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

Life

Ramirez was raised in

Park Slope, Brooklyn A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are green spaces set aside for recreation inside towns and cities. N ...

where he lived primarily with his mother, a chef and business owner of

Jewish American American Jews (; ) or Jewish Americans are American citizens who are Jewish, whether by culture, ethnicity, or religion. According to a 2020 poll conducted by Pew Research, approximately two thirds of American Jews identify as Ashkenazi, 3% id ...

descent. His father, who is of Dominican descent, worked as a lawyer. Pablo went to elementary, middle, and high school in

Brooklyn, NY Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, where he developed a love for the arts, sports, and music. As a child he enjoyed spending time with friends, camping, and playing the drums. His father was very involved in his upbringing from spending time after school to do homework, teaching him to play

chess Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...

, and spending weekends playing on ice hockey teams. His father took Pablo on many trips, especially to the Dominican Republic to visit family. In April, 2019, his father took Pablo's

grandmother Grandparents, individually known as grandmother and grandfather, or Grandma and Grandpa, are the parents of a person's father or mother – paternal or maternal. Every sexually reproducing living organism who is not a genetic chimera has a maxi ...

to San Francisco where they attended Pablo's art opening. His father exposed him to various types of music, including a mutual favorite:

The Clash The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...

. Pablo would spend time with his father in Manhattan, where the latter lives.

Skateboarding

A few years after graduating high school, Ramirez moved to

from

. Pablo honed his skills in San Francisco, becoming a loved member of the San Francisco skateboarding community. In 2016, he appeared in the

skate video A skate video is a movie of or about skateboarding typically showing new Skate tricks, tricks and a series of skateboarders in a Montage (filmmaking), montage set to music. History Released in 1965, the short film ''Skaterdater'' is credited a ...

''Awaysted'' put out by Western World and filmed by Adam Anorga and

Zane Timpson Zane Cary Timpson (July 13, 1995 - November 13, 2021) was an American skateboarder and artist. Skateboarding In 2016, Timpson and Adam Anorga released a skate video titled ''Awaysted'' through their "Western World" company. The video was filmed ...

. In 2017, Pablo appeared in the video ''Adrenaline Junkie'' by GX1000. Ramirez, known for his fast skating and fearless outlook, rode down the steepest streets in San Francisco. Additionally, he volunteered with Shawn Connolly's organization, San Francisco Skate Club, mentoring teens. The 2019 Supreme video CANDYLAND directed by

William Strobeck William Strobeck (born March 17, 1978) is an American filmmaker, director, videographer, and photographer based out of New York City. Strobeck directed the skate videos: ''cherry'' (2014), ''BLESSED (''2018), ''CANDYLAND'' (2019), ''STALLION'' ( ...

is dedicated to Pablo Ramirez. Ramirez also has the opening line in the video. In October 2019, Zane Timpson, Adam Anorga, and Layla Venegas released "He's in the Green" a video tribute to Pablo. The 2020 Westernworld video FFFURTHER by Anorga & Timpson is dedicated to Pablo. The video features skating from Elijah Akerley, Matt Bergmann, Stephen Brayman, Hayden Estrada, Kayl Johnson, Neil Norgren, Daniel Stelly, Zane Timpson, and Pablo.

Skate video A skate video is a movie of or about skateboarding typically showing new Skate tricks, tricks and a series of skateboarders in a Montage (filmmaking), montage set to music. History Released in 1965, the short film ''Skaterdater'' is credited a ...
parts

* 2016:
Awaysted
' - Westernworld * 2017: ''Adrenaline Junkie'' - GX1000 * 2018:
Roll Up
' - GX1000 * 2018: ''El Camino'' - GX1000 *2019:
CANDYLAND
' - Supreme - by

*2019:
He's in the Green
-'' by Zane Timpson, Adam Anorga, and Layla Venegas *2020:
FFFURTHER
' - Westernworld - by Anorga & Timpson

Death

Ramirez died in a crash with a truck on 7th street in San Francisco's

South of Market South of Market (SoMa) is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California, so named due to its location south of Market Street. It contains several sub-neighborhoods including South Beach, Yerba Buena, and Rincon Hill. SoMa is home to many of ...

area while commuting on his skateboard.

KGO-TV KGO-TV (channel 7) is a television station licensed to San Francisco, California, United States, serving the San Francisco Bay Area. It has been owned and operated by the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network through its ABC Owne ...

reported, "Just seconds before he died in a crash with a truck in San Francisco's South of Market area, video shows pro skateboarder Pablo 'P-Spliff' Ramirez grabbing the bumper of a truck and being towed through a busy intersection."

Pablo Ramirez Foundation

Pablo's family established th
Pablo Ramirez Foundation or (PRF)
in his honor with the aim to help kids and young adults develop a positive lifestyle through skateboarding, music and art. Since its founding, the Pablo Ramirez Foundation has hosted public skateboarding events in New York City and San Francisco. In March 2022, the Pablo Ramirez Foundation presented "The Power of Pablo" a benefit art exhibit with a live musical performance by

Tommy Guerrero Thomas Marc Guerrero (born September 9, 1966) is an American musician, composer, and professional skateboarder. He is a former member of the Bones Brigade, a prominent skateboarding team of the 1980s that also included Tony Hawk and Steve Caba ...

and DJ set by

John Cardiel John Joseph Cardiel (born December 14, 1973) is an American former professional skateboarder and snowboarder who has been a known core member of the Anti Hero Skateboards company since it was founded in 1995. Early life Cardiel was born in San ...

. The 2022 "Power of Pablo" art show included over 100 artists including Alicia McCarthy,

Mark Gonzales Mark Gonzales (born June 1, 1968), also known as "Gonz", "the Gonz" and "the Godfather", is an American professional skateboarder and artist. A pioneer in the development of modern street skating, he is considered one of the first street-style s ...

Barry McGee Barry McGee (born 1966) is an American artist. He is known for graffiti art, and a pioneer of the Mission School art movement. McGee is known by his monikers: Twist, Ray Fong, Bernon Vernon, and P.Kin. Life and education Barry McGee was born in ...

Ed Templeton Ed Templeton (born July 28, 1972) is an American professional skateboarder, contemporary artist, and photographer. He is the founder of the skateboard company, Toy Machine, a company that he continues to own and manage. He is based in Huntingt ...

, Kevin Long, Elyse Gil, Sean Greene,

, Haroshi, Ryan Garshell, Alán González, Nile Gibbs, Jahmal Williams, Jack Curtin,

Jeffrey Cheung Jeffrey Cheung (b. 1989), also known as Jeff Cheung, is an American artist, skateboarder, curator, musician, community organizer, co-founder of Unity Skateboarding and There Skateboards. Early life and education Cheung was born in 1989 and r ...

, Ashley Reem Habr, Roger Krebs, Dave Schubert, and others.

References

External links

The Pablo Ramirez Foundation website

Pablo's YouTube Channel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramirez, Pablo 2019 deaths American skateboarders 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American artists 1993 births Artist skateboarders American sportspeople of Dominican Republic descent Hispanic and Latino American artists