Surfing legend Andy Irons dies at 32

KAUAI, Hawaii, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- Three-time world surfing champion Andy Irons has died of unknown causes at age 32, his sponsor said Tuesday.

Billabong, the surfboard maker that backed Irons, said in a statement he withdrew from the Rip Curl Search Puerto Rico stop on the ASP Men's World Tour Saturday due to illness "and passed away during a layover en route to his home in Kauai, Hawaii."

The company cited reports the surfing legend had been battling dengue fever, a viral disease.

Surfing Magazine said other reports maintain Irons died in a Dallas hotel room.

Surfing observers have hailed Irons as the most dominant practitioner of the sport of the early- to mid-2000s. Irons had collected 19 world tour victories in addition to his three titles and was the only surfer to have won at every location on the tour, ESPN reported.

Irons had recently returned to the tour after a one-year hiatus.