Skateboarding legend Tony Hawk has started a charitable initiative, raising money for suicide prevention by selling items based on a skateboard with a hand-painted Iron Maiden artwork by late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain.
Hawk acquired the board through an auction last year and it holds special value for multiple reasons, furthering the ties to the cause.
Not only does the original deck feature Cobain’s version of the Killers album cover, Maiden’s 1981 record and final release with singer Paul Di’Anno, it was an original model by Jeff Phillips, an influential skateboarder who died of suicide in 1993, just three months prior to Cobain’s own suicide.
In their honor, Hawk is selling “photorealistic versions of this deck in the form of actual skateboards, prints and stickers” for charity. “All proceeds will be equally split between [Jed Foundation] and The Skatepark Project in order to provide resources for those struggling with mental health, and to create more public skateparks in underserved areas.”
On Twitter, the 54-year-old skater shares a video, reconnecting with the board’s original owner, Cameron Ross. “I got this skateboard when I was in junior high and Kurt had an ad down at Rosevear’s Music. He had a flyer up for doing art, so I gave him 20 bucks and a chunk of weed and he painted it for me,” says Ross, who confirms he asked Cobain to recreate the iconic Iron Maiden album cover.
Explore the shop and purchase a commemorative token in honor of Kurt Cobain and Jeff Phillips here.
If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, visit the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline website. Resource information is provided for free as well as a chat message service. To speak directly to a professional, call 1-800-273-8255. You are not alone and help is available. Every life is important.
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