Lee Matasi

Infobox Person
name = Lee Matasi
caption =
birth_name =
birth_date = December 27, 1981
birth_place = Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
death_date = December 3, 2005
death_place = Vancouver, British Columbia] , Canada
death_cause = murder
resting_place =
resting_place_coordinates =
residence =
nationality = Canadian
other_names = Avers
known_for = Skateboarding, Art
education = Langara College, Ottawa School of Art
occupation = skateboarder, Artist
stance =
salary =
networth =
height = 6"2
weight =
term =
parents = Lou Matasi, Susan Jessop
relatives = Alison Matasi (sister)


website = http://leematasi.spekt.net/
footnotes =

Lee Matasi was a skateboarder and artist from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He was was well-loved for his easy-going personality and passion for life. He made numerous friends in his daily life and travels, particularly in Vancouver, Ottawa, Montreal, and France. Lee was the victim of a fatal shooting on December 3rd, 2005.

kateboarding

Matasi was a well-known skateboarder in the Vancouver skate scene. As a youth, he created his own skatespot in a tunnel the Hastings and Cassiar connector in Vancouver, BC. The spot later became known as Leeside and is wellknown locally and throughout Canada.

Lee's skateboarding inspired his younger sister, Alison, to begin skateboarding. Alison is currently a professional female skateboarder.

Art

Lee was interested in art from a young age. As a youth, he grew up painting graffiti under the alias 'Avers', a name apparently chosen because of art's resemblance to 'a verse' on a page. After high school, Lee was in the Fine Arts program at Langara College in Vancouver, BC, in the year 2002. After completing the program, he spent a few months painting in an abandoned castle owned by a relative in a small town in France. In France he made numerous friends, and had a article written about his life in the castle in a French skateboarding magazine. Upon his return he would study art at the Ottawa School of Art.

Acting

Lee occasionally did 'extra' jobs (on skateboard and off) such as stunt doubling in a skateboarder role in the 1999 TV show 'Just Deal'. While in France he also appeared in a telephone directory advertisement. His most notable performance was in the 2003 film 'Party Monster' (featuring MacCaulay Culkin) as an extra.

Death

Matasi was shot to death outside the Red Room Nightclub in downtown Vancouver on December 3, 2005. [ [http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2007/11/19/bc-matasi.html Trial begins in 2005 shooting death of young Vancouver artist ] ] Shortly after his death, hundreds of Vancouver skaters attended a memorial at a skatepark that Matasi helped build. [http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2007/11/28/bc-matasiverdict.html Mom relieved artist son's killer found guilty of murder ] ]

On November 30, 2007, a jury in the case found Dennis Robert White guilty of second degree murder. Under Canadian law, the guilty verdict carries an automatic life sentence, with no chance of parole for 10 years.

Memorials and Legacy

After his death, the Ottawa School of Art student gallery was renamed the Lee Matasi Gallery.

Skateboard wheel company Momentum released a special edition "I Heart Lee Matasi" wheel. Sale proceeds were donated to the reconstruction of the Leeside skateboard park.

Vancouver's Antisocial skateshop sold 'I Love Lee Matasi' t-shirts, and donated the proceeds to Leeside reconstruction as well. [http://www.antisocialshop.com/storesub.html]

In summer of 2008, a professional skate shoe, the éS Avers, was created by Rick McCrank, and is dedicated to the memory of Lee Matasi. Proceeds from the sale of the shoe are being donated to the Lee Matasi Foundation. [ [http://esfootwear.com/blog/2008/07/01/mccrank-avers-i-heart-lee-matasi/ McCrank Avers "I Heart Lee Matasi"! « Blog « éS Footwear ] ]

References

External link

* http://leematasi.spekt.net/http://www.coastalbc.com/skate/leeside.htm