He was in his early 40s, and much to young to die... what happened.... or is this a private matter? He was not that old...

Thanks

The first time I saw Anthony Sewell was at the NBL War of the Stars national in 1980 at Coral Springs. He was mobbed all day by kids wanting his autograph and Jag stickers, and he smiled all day and never said no. A truly class act...he will be missed.

Rest in Peace Anthony.

It's like losing a brother. this is going to hurt a long time for sure.

+1

RIP Anthony. He was mine and all my friends inspiration for learning how to do 1 handers. He had a cool Photo in BMXA that we all tried to imitate

Sounds like he would have been a great guy to know. RIP Anthony.

Anthony will aways stand out as one the fastest old school pro's ever in bmx . Always a smile Sewell as I recall . I saw him angry once in many , many years of watching him race . Always was a class act with the kids too . He will be missed !



Godspeed Anthony Sewell


Condolences Gary Mason

I feel very sad inside about this news. Guess I am reverting back to my childhood and the racers that I looked up to and tried to emulate. There are just some people that should live forever in my book and Anthony was one of them.

RIP Mr. Sewell. I will get the chance to meet you one of these days.

Old-skull

Anthony always blistering fast indoors! I’ll remember the permanent “BIG SMILE”. BITD we were fortunate back in Minnesota to have both Anthony and Tommy Brackens stay at our home while racing at the 1980 Rondo Classic®. Anthony won both pro class and trophy dash. Three photo below of Anthony sharing his smile with our family and friends back in MN. Circa: 1980

Condolences ~ Dave Christensen

Sorry to hear of the loss of one of our sports finest individuals. He was a wonderful person and a great teammate. RIP Anthony. Godspeed .

Rest in Peace Anthony

I can not think of a no-hander jump without thinking of Anthony's magazine picture of him doing that jump. It blew my mind as a teenager! It is burned into my memory forever. This news has brought me great sadness and has reminded me of all of our mortalities. Life is short, live every minute and love the people in your lives that are important to you.
sean anderson

RIP.....sad day for bmx.

god bless him, family and friends.

I knew I had this somewhere. RIP

Sorry to hear the bad news great racer great person.



Elvis

I don't think there was ever a photo published of him where he wasn't smiling.
Rest in peace Anthony, you'll be missed.

Click to view attachment
God didn't make em' any more hip than him ....The coolest dude ever!

You know, it struck me today, while looking for the Anthony photo from Indy 80 that I posted earlier that Anthony is gone...and I am really glad I got a chance to see him and rap with him that one last time in Perris.

And seeing this huge outpouring of condolences and people saying, genuinely, "he really influenced me in X way," I have to ask:

Who else meets that criteria for you, and what are you doing about telling them that while you still can (maybe within and outside BMX)?

That, to a large extent, is what Vintage is all about, from the BMX point of view, at least.

it is not for this thread, as this is the dedicated Anthony Sewell Memorial Thread.

But please use the thread below to let it be known.

http://www.vintagebmx.com/community/index....wtopic=27029569

Best,

M

Anthony sewell ,a determined bmx'r .Was a great rider and inspiration to kids coming up .He rode with alot of heart,and was fun to watch .Its a sad day in bmx ,with his loss .RIP anthony

I seem to have many thoughts on this sad news, but not much to say. At least not much that hasn't already been said here.

This clearly falls into the "Mortality Sucks" category. RIP Anthony.

Oh my God!! ? He was only 46!! What happened!?!

Oldtimer1980

Well I must say that is the best way to go. It is just that he went so young.

Oldtimer1980s

Wow that was a shocker to hear of anthonys passing. I got to see anthony at the old school gathering at bellflower bmx last year and im glad i did he had not ghanged a bit. Godspeed anthony you will never be forgotten. Rod Beckering.

Wow that was a shocker to hear of anthonys passing. I got to see anthony at the old school gathering at bellflower bmx last year and im glad i did he had not ghanged a bit. Godspeed anthony you will never be forgotten. Rod Beckering.

Wow that was a shocker to hear of anthonys passing. I got to see anthony at the old school gathering at bellflower bmx last year and im glad i did he had not ghanged a bit. Godspeed anthony you will never be forgotten. Rod Beckering.

Wow that was a shocker to hear of anthonys passing. I got to see anthony at the old school gathering at bellflower bmx last year and im glad i did he had not ghanged a bit. Godspeed anthony you will never be forgotten. Rod Beckering.

Very sad to hear of Anthonys passing. Such an amazing life, gone too soon and yet and he inspired so many. Godspeed Anthony.

Rest in Peace Anthony. You have a lot of friends in mourning. You are a legend. I will always remember your Trophy Dash win at the 1978 World Championships. Watching you win that day made us all want to spin to win just like the King of Concrete!

I know this was somehow God's plan, but that doesn't make it any easier to understand.

We miss you Anthony.

Here are two links I found with more information about Anthony's career. The You Tube video and interview from England really capture his positive attitude. "The only way to do it is go for it"

Anthony Sewell on You Tube

Anthony on Wikopedia

Tim Lillethorup

Really sad, he was one of the greats. Fast as hell and such a natural.

Who would think someone so relaxed and friendly could be so competetive. Amazing.

46 is so young by today's life expectancy standards, should of had at least a good and fulfilling 30 years ahead of him. Condolences to his family.

RIP Anthony Sewell

RIP

It's always tough hearing of a loss such as this one. I never met Anthony but he did exist larger than life for me on the pages of many a BMX magazine. RIP Anthony and thank you.

I had the pleasure of meeting and riding with Anthony at the Bellflower reunion last year. I felt like I was 12 or 13 all over again. He is one of my BMX HEROES from when I was a kid. After talking with him and having him sign a few things I was in awe of how gracious and humble he was. I am so glad I got to meet you Anthony. May GOD Bless you and your family R.I.P. James Baker

very sad. RIP Anthony.

The very first bmx mag I had ever seen in my life had the coverage of the Indy Jag World Championship in it. His name has to be the oldest bmx name in my library of names, tracks, bikes, everything that is bmx....RIP.

Hello everyone,

I just talked with Rita Turner, she's involved with the planning of Anthony's service. She works with Anthony's sister Charlotte and they would love to hear from everyone. They are building a collage for Anthony's service so if you would like to send your photos and kind words about Anthony to them please do so. I'll post the service details when they are finalized.

Her email is Rita.Turner@lausd.net.

Let's help them out in a time of need and show them what a great family BMX is.

Anthony is a ABA BMX Hall 'O Famer and will NEVER be forgotten. R.I.P. my friend, you're in a peaceful place now.

Man, this really blows.

I first met him in 75 at Saddleback. He was scary fast. I didn't like that. LOL. We got to be buds and he could always seperate the *on-track* persona versus the, *in the pits* persona. I faded and he went on to greatness. But when we did meet up, always had a hug and a smile for me.

I'm glad I got to spend some time with Anthony at the last few gatherings.

He led a challenged life and rose above it to be an inspiration to us all.

What a great soul. I will miss him.

From the BMX Reunion at the Winternationals in 2007
Introducing "The First World Champ"


Team Jag (2007)


Hanging in the Pits


Godspeed Anthony

The December 1981 issue of BMX Plus has a 5 page interview article with Anthony.

Truly saddened by this news.

Anthony Sewell was the first BMX pro I ever met in person. Jag sent him to our little town in Northwest Michigan in 1980 for a week of clinics and PR. Anthony was a shining example of pure unadulterated skill on a BMX bicycle, this and his nonchalant ability to promote his brand with a smile and great attitude made him the measuring stick for every pro I met afterwords, nobody equaled. Jag and every other company he raced for was blessed to have this man on their side.

Regrettably I never owned a Jag myself but when I started collecting in 1999 the Team Jag was my holy grail.

The bike I always wanted, and one of the few in my collection that I'll never part with.



My friend J.J. Longton rode for Jag when they sent Anthony to visit, Anthony left J.J. with his uniform.







J.J., sign up, and share the story.

ANTHONY MUST HAVE BEEN A GREAT RIDER AND FRIEND TO MY DAD BECAUSE MY DAD NEVER SHEDS TEARS R.I.P FROM THE ANDERSONS

I remember him at the Rondo Classic here in Minnesota, he was so fast and nobody could touch him.

Nothing but great things from Mr. Sewell, very sad to hear that he has passed... RIP

BUMP................this needs to stay on the first page for a little time

Anthony, the BMX world is a poorer and sadder place for your passing. You will never be forgotten.

Love & peace,
JR.

The more i find out about Mr.Sewell the more proud i am to have owned a JAG bmx for my first bike! "Nice" is a great quality to have.....and fast doesn't hurt either if your a bmxer!

yes indeed!

Glad to have met him at one of the OS gatherings, RIP Bro.

Maybe one of the mods could "pin" this to the top of the page...


*hint hint*

I'm going to summarize another story from another site and add to it. I had to choke back tears as I related it to my wife.

As you have seen, Anthony made the cover of all the magazines, probably had an interview in each, was used in countless advertisements. So much print material, and yet, through his adult life he somehow lost all his memorabilia. He had nothing from his years of racing.

Back in 2007 we had our "legends BBQ" in Arizona. Anthony was able to make it and had a wonderful time. The ABA had printed posters of all the past ABA National Champions, most of which were there to sign them. The rest of us signed around the edge.

Anthony had his and was proudly sharing it with Tammy (Bellflower ABA track opperator). She commented on how great that poster was and wished she knew about it ahead of time so she could have had someone get one for her. Without hesitation he insists she take his!!!

He forced the issue and she had him sign it also and now displays it proudly in the sign-up booth.

Pure class. Most of us could be schooled by Anthony's good grace and epic character.

For those of you that ask what happened.
Anthony was born with a Health Issue. Even when he was World Champ it was taking its toll. Those close to him had been aware something was not right in the last year.

The great thing is! In the last few years Anthony was very happy because BMX was again a big part of his life.

His sister is still working on the exact time of the family service. She did say it was open!

This is the info for the families service. It is open!


Wednesday, April 15, 2009 @ 10 a.m.
Simpson Family Mortuary

3443 West Manchester Boulevard

Inglewood, CA 90305

(323) 752-5524