Sunny Garcia, a legend in the surf community and a world champion in 2000, has been hospitalized after what has been reported in multiple news outlets as a suicide attempt. He remains in the intensive care unit, the World Surf League confirmed Tuesday.
The news, which rocked the tight-knit world of surfing and sparked an outpouring of empathy on social media, was confirmed by the league on Twitter. The league declined to comment further.
Garcia, 49, is known as a relentless competitor with a fierce surfing style, which led to six Triple Crown of Surfing titles and the Association of Surfing Professionals world championship title in 2000.