He became a mentor to many in the surfing community and an important figure of the sport. Garcia was inducted into the Surfing Walk of Fame in 2010 and the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame in 2015. He was a big brother figure to Andy Irons, a three-time world champion and another Hawaiian surfer known for occasionally erratic behavior. “I was like his older brother, but I didn’t really know or understand what he was dealing with,” Garcia said of Irons in an interview years later. “If I knew then what I know now, I would have told him to get more help, professional help.

Source: New York Times April 30, 2019 19:49 UTC