'Jackass' star died from Pa. crash's impact, fire (AP)

PHILADELPHIA – "Jackass" daredevil Ryan Dunn and his passenger died from the impact of the violent car crash and the resulting fire, according to a coroner's report Tuesday.

The Chester County coroner listed blunt force trauma and thermal trauma as the official causes of death for both men. Toxicology results will take four to six weeks to complete, coroner's office spokeswoman Patty Emmons said.

The 34-year-old Dunn and passenger Zachary Hartwell died early Monday, shortly after leaving a pub in West Chester where Dunn had tweeted a photo of the pair and a third man drinking just hours before the crash. The photo has since been taken down.

Barnaby's of America manager Jim O'Brien declined through an employee to speak to The Associated Press. He told The Philadelphia Inquirer that Dunn was drinking with several friends at the bar but didn't appear drunk.

West Goshen Township police declined Tuesday to discuss the ongoing investigation in detail but believe speed may have been a factor in the suburban Philadelphia crash.

A preliminary examination of the crash site suggested that Dunn's Porsche might have been traveling more than 100 mph in the 55 mph zone when it jumped a guardrail, flew into a wooded ravine, struck a tree and burst into flames.

The 30-year-old Hartwell was credited as a production assistant for the second "Jackass" movie.

Dunn's brother, Eric Dunn, said in an emailed statement to the AP that his family was "devastated."

"We appreciate the support of Ryan's fans during this time, and we are grateful for your thoughts and prayers," he said. "Ryan will be greatly missed, but he will forever remain in our hearts."

Mourners placed flowers and took photos at the accident scene in West Chester, while Facebook and Twitter were buzzing Tuesday with condolences from fans around the world and friends from Hollywood to Chester County.

Among those expressing their sorrow online were Good Charlotte guitarist Benji Madden, reality TV star Brody Jenner and Dunn's "Jackass" movie and TV cohorts Bam Margera, Stephen "Steve-O" Glover and Jason "Wee Man" Acuna.

Margera, who was in Arizona at the time of the crash, visited the crash scene Tuesday evening and was visibly overcome with emotion, rocking back and forth in agony at the guardrail that the car crashed through, WCAU reported.

"I've never lost anybody that I cared about. It's my best friend," he told WPXI, weeping. "He was the happiest person ever, the smartest guy. He had so much talent, and he had so many things going for him. This is not right, not right."

Margera stood at the guardrail that Dunn pierced with his Porsche Monday morning with such force that the car slammed through about 40 feet of trees before exploding into flames.

Dunn was born in Ohio and moved at age 15 to Pennsylvania, where he met Margera on his first day of high school, according to a biography posted on his website.

Glover tweeted, "I don't know what to say, except I love Ryan Dunn and I'm really going to miss him." Glover also canceled six upcoming stand-up comedy shows in Sacramento, Calif., and the venue said it was issuing ticketholders refunds.

There was also criticism, most notably after movie critic Roger Ebert posted on Twitter that "friends don't let jackasses drink and drive." Margera erupted in expletives on his own Twitter page. Ebert's Facebook page was flooded with derogatory posts and briefly taken down; Facebook apologized a few hours later and said the page was "removed in error."

Ebert responded Tuesday that he didn't mean to be cruel and was "probably too quick to tweet" after the crash.

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'Jackass' stuntman Ryan Dunn dead at 34 (AFP)

NEW YORK (AFP) – US comedy stunt television show "Jackass" lost one of its stars when Ryan Dunn, known for his death-defying and often car-related pranks, died in a car accident early Monday, MTV said.

Police said the accident took place around 2:30 am (0630 GMT) in West Goshen Township, Pennsylvania, and that Dunn was probably speeding at the time. An unidentified passenger was also killed.

Dunn's 2007 Porsche 911 GT3 burst into flames after the crash. It was found off the road and in the woods.

"Speed may have been a contributing factor to the accident," the West Goshen Township Police Department's report read.

"Upon arrival, police located one vehicle off the road and in the woods that was fully engulfed in flames."

A photograph posted to Dunn's Twitter account about two hours before the accident showed him drinking what appeared to be alcoholic beverages with two male friends.

"We are devastated by the tragic loss of Ryan Dunn -- a beloved member of the MTV family for more than a decade," said Van Toffler, president of MTV Networks Music/Film Group that broadcast the "Jackass" series that ran from 2000-2002 before spinning off into a successful film franchise.

"He made us all laugh and had the tireless enthusiastic approach to life of your favorite middle school friend. Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with Ryan's family and friends. The Jackass brotherhood will never be the same."

The red-bearded Dunn, 34, appeared in the "Jackass" television series and the franchise's three films. He was also a cast member of reality television series "Viva La Bam," in which most of the "Jackass" original cast appeared.

"Jackass 3D" debuted with a whopping $50 million in ticket sales in October.

More recently, Dunn and "Jackass" co-star Steve-O teamed up for a June 8 episode of the NBC TV game show "Minute to Win It," and hosted the shows "Homewrecker" (MTV) and "Proving Ground" (G4 television).

One of his most famous stunts involved inserting a toy car in his rectum and then going to the doctor for an X-ray as part of his "Butt X-Ray" prank.

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'Jackass' star Ryan Dunn dies in fiery Pa. crash (AP)

PHILADELPHIA – "Jackass" star Ryan Dunn, who along with his cast mates made Americans cringe and snicker through vulgar stunts in their multimillion-dollar TV and movie franchise, was killed early Monday in a fiery car crash. He was 34.

Dunn, a daredevil whose most famous skits included diving into a sewage tank and shoving a toy car into his rectum, was driving his 2007 Porsche in suburban Philadelphia when it careered off the road, flipped over a guardrail and crashed into the woods before bursting into flames. A passenger was also killed, and speed may have been a factor in the crash, West Goshen Township police said.

The force of impact shattered the vehicle into several twisted and blackened pieces, leaving the Porsche 911 GT3 unrecognizable except for a door that was thrown from the crash and not incinerated. A 100-foot-long tire skid marked where the car left the roadway.

Both Dunn and his passenger were severely burned. Police said they were able to identify Dunn through his tattoos and hair, but the identity of his passenger was still unknown.

Dunn appeared on MTV shows "Jackass" and "Viva La Bam" and the three "Jackass" big-screen adaptations. He also was the star of his own MTV show, "Homewrecker," and hosted "Proving Ground" on the G4 cable network.

His longtime friend and fellow "Jackass" daredevil Johnny Knoxville tweeted on Monday afternoon, "Today I lost my brother Ryan Dunn. My heart goes out to his family and his beloved Angie. RIP Ryan, I love you buddy."

Dunn also starred in the yet-to-be-released film "Living Will." The film's website describes Dunn's character as a "party bum slacker (who) returns from the dead as a mischievous and perverted ghost."

In a statement, MTV praised Dunn's tireless humor and enthusiasm and said he would be missed.

"We are devastated by the tragic loss of Ryan Dunn — a beloved member of the MTV family for more than a decade," said Van Toffler, president of MTV Networks Music/Films Group. "The Jackass brotherhood will never be the same."

Dunn was born in Ohio and moved at age 15 to Pennsylvania, where he met Bam Margera on his first day of high school, according to a biography posted on his website.

Dunn, Margera, Christopher Raab (known as Raab Himself) and Brandon DiCamillo, under the moniker CKY for "Camp Kill Yourself," started making videos that featured them skateboarding and performing stunts.

Dunn was working as a welder and at a gas station when Knoxville, a friend of Margera's through the skateboarding circuit, asked the crew to allow their videos to be part of the series "Jackass," which became a hit on MTV and ran from 2000 to 2002.

Perhaps his most famous stunt, in 2002's "Jackass: The Movie," involved inserting a toy car into his rectum and going to an emergency room, where he made up a story that he was in mysterious pain after passing out at a fraternity party. Dunn's X-ray from the hospital became a popular T-shirt for "Jackass" fans.

In a 2000 stunt, he dived into a tank at a raw sewage plant wearing flippers, a mask and a snorkel.

A few hours before the 3 a.m. crash, Dunn tweeted a picture of himself drinking with two friends. The photo has since been removed.

Autopsies were to be conducted Monday, though it was unclear when the results would be released.

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"Jackass" co-star dies in car crash in Pennsylvania (Reuters)

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) – Ryan Dunn, a co-star of the "Jackass" movie franchise, died on Monday when a sports car he was driving careened off a highway in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and burst into flames, police said.

Dunn was driving his 2007 Porsche, which police found "fully engulfed in flames" in a wooded area in outer Philadelphia, police in the West Goshen Township said Monday.

An unidentified passenger also died in the crash that occurred early Monday morning.

The daredevil personality, 34, part of the crew in the top-grossing "Jackass" movie franchise that specialized in risky pranks and gross-out stunts, lived in nearby West Chester, Pennsylvania, police said.

A police statement said a "preliminary investigation revealed that speed may have been a contributing factor to the accident."

The Ohio-born Dunn posted a photo to his Twitter account shortly before the crash which seemed to show him drinking with friends. On his Twitter account he described himself as a "TV personality, movie star, automotive enthusiast."

In 2005, Dunn was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and entered a first offender's program that allowed him to clear his record after a certain period of good behavior, said Patrick Carmody, Assistant District Attorney in Chester County.

Besides the Jackass movie franchise that has grossed more than $330 million worldwide, according to tracking website Box Office Mojo, Dunn also starred in "Haggard: The Movie," an indie comedy in which the tattooed, bearded, daredevil played himself.

(Reporting by Dave Warner, Editing by Barbara Goldberg and Christine Kearney)

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