Charles Lewis Jr., the tapout founder better known as "Mask," was not on drugs or alcohol at the time of his fatal automobile accident last month, the Orange County District Attorney's Office recently confirmed with ocregister.com.
Lewis died on March 11 in Newport Beach, Calif., when his vehicle was struck by another car driven by Jeffrey David Kirby, a two-time DUI convict who was allegedly intoxicated during his latest arrest.
The collision forced Lewis' Ferrari over a curb and into a utility poll, which nearly cut the car into two pieces. Lewis, 45, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Kirby, 51, has since been charged with vehicular manslaughter, driving under the influence, and fleeing the scene. He's being held in lieu of $500,000 bail.
Toxicology tests performed by the Orange County Coroner detected no evidence of drugs or alcohol in Lewis' system. The entrepreneur and TV host's friends had maintained since the accident that Lewis didn't drink or do drugs.
Lewis' 23-year-old girlfriend was ejected from the car during the collision. Lacy Lynn White suffered multiple injuries, including a fractured elbow, but was eventually released from the hospital.
Kirby twice had been convicted of past DUI offenses. He now faces a maximum sentence of 19 years and eight months in state prison if convicted of the new charges.
Lewis founded Tapout Clothing Inc. in 1997 with a trunk full of T-shirts and a few thousand dollars of start-up money. Over the past decade, he and his partners have made the company the biggest apparel success story in MMA.
Tapout, which grossed just $30,000 in sales in 1999, pushed that number to more than $100 million in 2008 alone. The company now has licensed retailers (including the likes of Dillard's and Champs) around the world and is one of the UFC's most prominent sponsors.
Lewis was a fixture at MMA events around the world, and his company sponsored numerous fighters. He also appeared in a TapouT TV show that airs on Versus.
A public memorial service to honor Lewis is being held April 14 at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, Calif.
