prayers for Larry

[Gooch]

from the Charlotte Observer

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observe...al/9533189.htm

'Indian Larry' hurt on stunt in Cabarrus

Builder of custom motorcycles airlifted from county arena

MARK PRICE

Staff Writer


A custom-motorcycle builder known to Discovery Channel viewers as Indian Larry was seriously injured while performing a stunt Saturday at the Cabarrus Arena and Events Center.

Cabarrus County officials said the stunt driver sustained head injuries and was in critical condition after being airlifted to Carolinas Medical Center. A CMC official couldn't confirm his condition.

Indian Larry has been featured on Discovery's Biker Build-Off television series and was at the arena to perform stunts during the three-day Liquid Steel Classic and Custom Bike Series.

"He was riding and standing up on his seat," said Mike Downs, Cabarrus County deputy county manager. "The bike started to wobble and he was not able to regain control."

Indian Larry fell off the bike before a crowd of about 8,000. He was not wearing a helmet. Paramedics were standing by at and aided him until he could be airlifted to CMC, Downs said.

The show continued, but all other stunts were canceled, Downs said.

Indian Larry is known for his eccentric nature, according to his official Web site. His résumé includes movie, video and television.

The bike boards are goin nuts with speculation and rumours about his condition from brain dead and comatose to allready dead.

This article was from this mornings paper. Hope Larry's buildin and riding days aren't over yet.

[BillJ]

Bummer! Is it true that he was in recovery?

[Gooch]

He didn't drink or get high.. he claimed the ultimate buzz was working the metal whether he was buildin or jammin the blacktop.

I just saw confirmation on the Horse site that he passed last night.

Damn ... another legend gone.

The Boss must have an old shool project in mind and needed the best.




RIP Larry you will be missed by so many.

[Dan]

I saw some of Larry's work...
Big Spirit.
(...)

[KelKel]

Sending out a for larry

[best]

It is my understanding that Larry had reached a point in recovery and a spiritual walk with God that had him 180 degrees from where he was.
I met the man at the Boston Bike show. He signed the back of my leather.
He is a great guy from all that I have seen or read about him. Larry is a legend and will be remembered for a long time. His ways with steel and artistic flair will live on here on earth.
May he be in God's hands of comfort at this time, if the stories are true. If not may the Lord reach down and bring a healing as needed.

Larry's backwards written neck tat as read in the mirror every morning...

Vengeance is mine saith the Lord

No fear

[Gooch]

Bike-builder dies after crash
Updated: 8/30/2004 2:03 PM
By: Associated Press


Indian Larry was taken to Carolinas Medical Center.
CONCORD, N.C. - A custom motorcycle builder known for his appearances on cable's Discovery Channel died Monday after crashing during a weekend stunt at an arena in Cabarrus County.

"Indian Larry" was appearing at a three-day motorcycle event at the Cabarrus Arena and Events Center, the Liquid Steel Classic and Custom Bike Series.

A crowd of about 8,000 was watching him perform a stunt Saturday in which he stood on the seat of a moving motorcycle, when the bike began to wobble and he was unable to regain control of it, said Mike Downs, the county's deputy manager.

County officials said Indian Larry will be missed.

"Cabarrus County along with the staff at the Cabarrus Arena and Events Center sends its sincere condolences to the family of Indian Larry," said Robert Freeman, chairman of the Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners. "Indian Larry was a man with great skill and talent as a mechanic and metal sculptor. He will be truly missed by his fans here in Cabarrus County and throughout the nation."

Indian Larry, who has appeared in movies and television shows, was featured on the Discovery Channel's Biker Build-Off series, in which well-known motorcycle builders design and build bikes from scratch, then have them judged by motorcycle aficionados.

[tramp]

It's a shame, with all the sissy bike builders out there we have lost a no bull ****, basic black chopper builder.
Wether he was clean or not, he built my kind of bikes. I never met him, never saw him cept on tv, but I know alot about him from what and how he rode.
If 6 was 9.....
Ride on brother
PS
Great pic Gooch.

[Alice Wonder]

a broken hearted alice here....sending light and love to his friends and family. great picture Gooch. sigh....

[namommy]

My husband and I just watched him AGAIN on Sat. night. The biker build-off. I am sitting here with tears in my eyes and chills running down my spine. I had to call my husband at work and tell him.

I don't know what to say.

Prayers for larry and his family.

[greeneyedjul]

It seems my Team Oregon class was just talking about him.....what a loss. May the Grandfathers and Grandmothers take care of him and watch over him, may Spirit spirit his Spirit to light and love and may his family be comforted.
Ho, we are all related....

[BillJ]

From The Dallas Morning News, September 2nd, 2004:

Larry Desmedt: Motorcyclist, custom builder

Larry Desmedt, a custom motorcycle builder and biker known nationally as "Indian Larry," died Monday in Charlotte, N.C., of injuries he suffered doing a stunt on Saturday. He was 55 and lived in New York City.

Mr. Desmedt had gone to Charlotte for the filming of a new segment in a series on the Discovery Channel, The Great Biker Build-Off.

The accident happened in a parking lot after the filming of a competition among riders of custom-made two-wheelers, according to Timothy White, a photographer and friend of Indian Larry's. Thousands were watching.

Mr. White said Indian Larry, wearing a protective suit but not a helmet, was standing on his bike as he went down the parking lot in a crowd-pleasing routine and may have been blinded by the sun; he fell and hit his head.

Indian Larry was a legend among biking enthusiasts and custom builders. He regarded his craft as a form of art and got his nickname from the classic brand of a motorcycle he rode years ago.

Larry Desmedt was born in Cornwall-on-Hudson, N.Y. His wife, Bambi, and Mr. White described him as a lone wolf who was a familiar figure to fans across the country but never joined a motorcycle gang. He was known among bikers as a metal sculptor and highly skilled mechanic.

His first motorbike was a 1939 Harley Knucklehead he bought for $200 when he was a teenager, he said in a Rolling Stone interview. Within hours, he had taken it apart, and it took him nine months to put it back together.

Later, he went to California to apprentice himself to one of his heroes, the hot-rod builder Ed "Big Daddy" Roth.

He had a wild youth and was a frequent subject of his friend, the photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, who was attracted to his "crash and burn" way of life.

In 1991, he decided to become "the best chopper builder in the world," according to an autobiography scheduled for publication by Crown in 2005, and devoted himself to becoming what he called a motorcycle artist.

His most famous motorcycle, called Grease Monkey, was named Easy Rider magazine's chopper of the year.

R.I.P., Larry

Choppers Only.

[sturpin]

sheesh I been awol from the computer and tv lately, I just found this out...am very saddend to hear this......how very depressing.....BUT as we all know....what better way for a biker to "go" then doing what he loves best.....riding!!

Thanks Gooch for that awesome picture...
Sue