Long Beach lost one of its own this weekend—and a particularly special one, especially for the skating community. Kurtis Colamonico, a former professional skateboarder who helped shape a generation of local skaters through his business Skate Kids, passed away on Aug. 21, according to his family. He was 38—with no cause of death being publicly disclosed—leaving behind his son Kruz, his parents, step-parents, siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews.
A legend in his own right: Kurtis Colamonico was talented—as both a skater and communicator
The first time I met Kurtis was in 2014. Standing outside of what was then Lord Windsor Coffee (now Black Dog Roasters), I was in search of people who represented the city in ways beyond the verbal and digital. Showing up in a shirt that had “Self-Made, Dues Paid” sprawled on the back, Kurtis was humble, kind, and absurdly open for a skater who just met a random writer.
Then the shirt came off, showcasing what could be The Most Long Beach Ever array of tattoos, highlighting everything from the 710 to the Queen Mary. It was an honest ode to the city that raised him—and considering he was born at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, it reflected that he was a Long Beach kid through and through.
His father, Tim, would often recount the signs of his talent early on: Wheelies on a tricycle at three years old. Surfing not long after. His son was, simply put, wired differently. But skateboarding became the outlet, the obsession, the thing that gave him focus. As a kid, Kurtis spent his days skating parks across Long Beach and Orange County, eventually breaking through in the early 2000s and traveling the world with friends, competing, filming, and doing demos
Kurtis lived the life so many local skaters dream of.
Always Long Beach: Kurtis Colamonico never forgot his roots.
Even as his career grew, Long Beach stayed close to his heart—literally. Kurtis wore his hometown on his skin, tattooed across his torso in landmarks that spoke to where he came from and who he skated for.
“I just knew what I wanted to do,” Kurtis said in a 2010 interview, recalling sneaking out at 11 years old to take the bus to skate parks. “I used to flip the bike racks at lunchtime and skate them and get in trouble every day. I just put all my time and effort into skateboarding. If you really want something, you’ll get there.”
That focus shifted—but didn’t disappear—when his son Kruz was born.
“He opened my eyes to be a teacher, to being a mentor for other kids,” Kurtis told me in 2018. “I knew I couldn’t skate forever—I told you that when we first met. And, deep down, I’d always wanted to be a teacher. There’s something about the whole idea of sharing what you’ve experienced with someone willing to take it all in.”
Skate Kids, the nonprofit that changed Kurtis’s trajectory.
In 2011, Kurtis launched Skate Kids, offering after-school programs, group lessons, and camps that introduced hundreds of local kids to skateboarding. But more than tricks, he taught persistence. The same grind that defined his professional career became the lesson plan.
“It’s about not giving up,” he said. “I’ve seen people get close to their dreams and turn back because they needed stability in that moment. Skateboarding taught me how to live through the struggle.”
Those close to Kurtis say his life revolved around three things: skateboarding, family, and Long Beach. When he wasn’t skating—a rarity—he was with his family. On Saturday, he was at the beach with his surfboard, enjoying the day. By Sunday morning, his family found that he had passed in his sleep.
The skating community mourns the loss of Kurtis Colamonico
Since his death, the skate community has poured out tributes.
“Kurtis was a good dude with a heart the size of Long Beach,” wrote photographer and author Pete Thompson, whose work documents the city’s 1990s skate scene. Veteran filmmaker Joe Krolick echoed that sentiment in a post for Thrasher Magazine: “If there was one constant thing in Kurtis’ life, it was skateboarding. If you were ever around him, you could feel his infectious excitement for it.”
A GoFundMe organized by Kurtis’ family to cover funeral expenses has surpassed its initial goal. The family has also announced a celebration of life at El Dorado Skate Park at 10AM on Sunday, September 11—a fitting tribute in the place where so many Long Beach skaters first found their footing.
Kurtis Colamonico didn’t just skate for Long Beach—he built it up, passed it on, and left it stronger than he found it.
