The co-founder of American footwear company DC Shoes, Ken Block, has died in a snowmobile accident in the US, at the age of 55.

Block was a marketing executive who co-founded the skateboard fashion brand DC Shoes with his business partner, Damon Way in 1994. Together they launched several artist collaborations and limited edition releases in DC’s product line popularising its identity among athletes and creators in the nineties.

Block sold his remaining shares and transitioned into a professional rally driver in 2004 as Quicksilver bought the company. It is currently a subsidiary of the sports and lifestyle enterprise, Boardriders Inc.

On Monday, Utah’s Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook that Block was “riding a snowmobile on a steep slope when the snowmobile upended, landing on top of him”.

He was pronounced deceased at the scene from injuries caused by the accident. He was riding with a group but was alone when the accident occurred.

“Ken was a visionary, a pioneer and an icon. And most importantly, a father and husband,” said Hoonigan Industries in a statement on Instagram.