Image Credit: Frederick Breedon IV/Getty Images
On Sunday, two-time Indy 500 winner Dan Wheldon tragically passed away at the age of 33 from a fatal accident during a race in Las Vegas. Wheldon, who is survived by his wife Susie and their two children, was remembered on Twitter in the hours since his passing by sports and Hollywood stars. Actress Ashley Judd, who is married to driver Dario Franchitti, posted lines from John Donne’s poem “Death, Be Not Proud” and then tweeted, “Hardest parts, Thinking about Susie, Sebastian, Oliver. Seeing my husband grieve. Nights are so awful at first. Poor woman. Such pain.” Danica Patrick, one of the many in the racing community who reacted to Wheldon’s death on Twitter, wrote on her page, “There are no words for today. Myself and so many others are devastated. I pray for suzi and the kids that god will give them strength.”
Here are how some other stars paid tribute to the English-born Wheldon on Twitter:
Erin Andrews: “Very sorry to hear the news of Dan Wheldon..puts alot into perspective today..my heart hurts for his family”
LeBron James: “R.I.P to IndyCar Driver Dan Wheldon! Dies In 15-Car Crash At Las Vegas Race #tragedy. You’ll be missed from Sports”
Hope Solo: “My heart hurts deeply for Dan Wheldon and his family.An amazing individual who inspired me the moment we met.RIP Dan. Your legacy lives on..”
Lupe Fiasco: “My heart goes out the entire @indycar family and the family of Dan Wheldon #77 and his team. May God have mercy.”
Billy Corgan: RIP Dan Wheldon who died racing today in Las Vegas. I got to meet and talk to Dan once, a lovely and cool guy. A terrible tragedy…”
Nikki Sixx: “R.I.P. Dan Wheldon… He always seemed to be more than just a winner.My condolence’s go out to his family!”
Slash: “Really tragic news about Indy Champ, Dan Wheldon today. RIP Dan.”
Shannon Elizabeth: “OMG-My heart & prayers go out to all those in the big crash this morning at the Las Vegas Indy 300-esp 2 time Indy 500 winner Dan Wheldon who was killed in the crash-may he rest in peace & I pray his family & friends can get through this horrible, tragic event!”
Denise Richards: “My thoughts and prayers are with @danwheldon and his loved ones.. What a sad day. #IndyCar #danwheldon”
Kim Kardashian: “My heart goes out to race car driver, Dan Wheldon’s family, his wife & 2 babies. Such a tragedy.”
DJ Pauly D: “Sending My Thoughts And Prayers To Dan Wheldon Family And Friends We Lost A Great One Today #RIP”
What a horrible tragedy. The crash was sickening to watch. I feel so bad for his friends and family, especially his wife and 2 young children. How awful.
He seemed like a class act. He was not getting steady work despite winning the Indy 500 twice yet people like Danica who won nothing get everything – its all about ad revenue/sponorships and who is flashy, not talent. Dan was a talented man and a class act.
Talented at driving a car? WTF? Why is this even a “sport”? People driving fast…we see that on highways across the country every day. We should ban this, alongside eveery other barbaric white trash “sport,” like the rodeo, hunting, and fishing.
The real irony Mas is he signed a contract to replace Danica Patrick on her former team when she goes into NASCAR full time in 2012.
DAMN! I thought it said “Joss Whedon.” I was so happy, thinking “now maybe a GOOD director will finish ‘The Avengers’ instead of this hack, best known for crappy flop shows like Dollhouse and crappy flop films like Serenity.” Alas, it is not Joss Whedon who died.
Wow, you’re not a very nice person, are you?
If Joss Whedon had died, we would still have his mediocre legacy on video. Now, if him dying meant that every single vestige of “Buffy,” “Angel,” and “Firefly” will die with him, sign me up for the funeral!
My first and forever favorite Indycar driver. I’m heartbroken today.
headlines on the BBC were interesting this morning – screaming about how unsafe IndyCar racing is.
They should be screaming…Indy is soooo much more unsafe then Nascar is….Indy goes much faster and the cars are just horrible…maybe something will be done after this tragedy!!!!!
In all actuality, all racing is dangerous. But following a conversation with former IndyCar driver and current NASCAR driver Sam Hornish Jr, I feel that on a normal raceday, IndyCars are just as comparable in safety. IndyCar officials work tirelessly to provide the highest safety standards. In fact, IndyCar, unlike NASCAR, travels with its own medical staff. That means the same doctors are treating drivers week in and week out. Yesterday’s accident was due to track conditions and the amount of inexperienced drivers. I can’t remember ever hearing every driver express unease before a race like they did yesterday.
Ever heard of Alex Zinardi? the track saftey crew for F1, Indy and NHRA are unparelled.
IndyCar is set to use a new car next year, which apparently Wheldon was helping to test. He was apparently telling the other drivers throughout the season the number of safety improvements being made–including limiting the ability of the car to go airborne, which is how he ended up dying yesterday. But we have to resign ourselves to the fact that no sport will ever be 100% safe–during one of the commercial breaks while waiting for word of Wheldon’s condition, I flipped it over to the Saints-Buccaneers game, and the HEAD COACH got his leg broken. Accidents happen and people get hurt.
I know! Fox News tring to bait people into doing the “blame” game. Sad indeed. Truly a talented driver. Indy car in no more dangerous than any other form of racing. IMO the track was not set up for Indy, F1, ALMS drivers.
Wheldon was sponsored by Justin Timberlake’s line of clothing, William Rast. I’d be interested to hear Justin’s reaction to this tragedy.
For one race. He wasn’t with them for a whole season.
Indy and yesterday’s race. That counts as two, at least.
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