Mickey Reyes, San Francisco skateboarding icon and Deluxe manager, dies
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Mickey Reyes, a longtime fixture of San Francisco's skateboarding scene, has died, Thrasher Magazine announced Wednesday.
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Reyes was remembered by Thrasher as an era-defining figure shaped by the streets of San Francisco. The magazine described him as a lifetime member of the Deluxe family who was much more than a team manager.
"He was a father figure, a calming presence and a security blanket," Thrasher wrote. "If Mickey had your back, you knew you were solid."
No cause of death was given in the announcement. Thrasher said Reyes is survived by his daughter, Dakota.
Reyes came up through the local skate scene and went on to have a decades-long connection to the industry.
He managed teams for Deluxe Distribution, the San Francisco company behind brands including Real, Anti-Hero and Krooked.
In 2015, Nike tapped Reyes to help design the Mission Blazer, a San Francisco-themed shoe with details honoring the neighborhood where he was born and raised. The shoe incorporated the city's familiar black-and-orange color scheme and names of local skate spots.
For skaters who came of age during San Francisco's influential street-skating era, Reyes could be an intimidating presence. But people who worked with him also described a fiercely loyal figure who looked after younger skaters.
A 2013 Vice profile recalled the outsized reputation he had developed over the years.
"I've mellowed out a little bit in my old age," Reyes said. "Sometimes I scare myself."
Reyes also spoke about being a father and trying to set a good example for his daughter.
"Mickey Reyes was an icon of an era defined by the concrete of our seven-by-seven jungle," Thrasher wrote. "Though tough and well respected, behind the brawn he carried a profound heart of red and gold."
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