Last month, when John John Florence became world surfing champion for the first time, the surf community paused in the midst of celebration to remember the late Andy Irons, the last Hawaii surfer to bring home the title.
Make that titles: Irons, a Kauai phenomenon, won three consecutive world championships from 2002 through 2004. He died at 32 of a heart attack in a Texas hotel room on Nov. 2, 2010, on a layover while flying home to Hawaii from a surf contest in Puerto Rico. The autopsy listed drug ingestion as a secondary cause.
The devastating impact on Irons’ wife, Lyndie Irons — then eight months pregnant with their first child — his younger brother and surfing pro Bruce Irons and many friends reverberates in their faces and voices during interviews they gave for a forthcoming feature-length documentary film, “Andy: The Untold Story.”
Early this month, to commemorate the sixth anniversary of Irons’ death, filmmakers and brothers Steve and Todd Jones launched a Kickstarter campaign seeking $150,000 to help pay for post-production costs. The campaign, which ended Friday, had received $163,757 in contributions as of Friday morning.
The filmmakers received the full cooperation of the Irons family in chronicling the “unfiltered life” of the daring, charismatic surfer with the sunny smile and a wit as quick as his reflexes.
“We never looked at it as a surf film, but as a human interest story with a character whose complexities hit on so many levels and is so relatable,” said director Steve Jones in a phone interview.
In the trailer, viewable at kck.st/2eOiGS9, those close to him recount Irons’ struggles: He suffered from bipolar disorder and self-medicated with opioids. The pressures of competitive surfing posed challenges.
“We aren’t going to sugarcoat it,” Bruce Irons said in a news release. “I hope it can be a positive thing for young kids coming up in the sport.”
The trailer includes lighter moments of Andy and Lyndie Irons surfing tandem, the Irons brothers as towheaded groms, and breathtaking rides at Teheaupoo and Pipeline. During one paddle-out, Irons says he is looking forward to becoming a father of a boy or girl. “Either way, it’s my rebirth.”
The film is scheduled for release in early 2017.
