Santa Cruz big wave surfer Jeff Spencer, 49, was found dead “near West Cliff Drive” in Santa Cruz, California on Sunday, June 10, 2012, according to a s tory in the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
An off-duty San Jose firefighter came upon Spencer near a fence at David Way about 6:10 a.m., and it was unclear how long Spencer had been dead. A coroner’s autopsy will determine the cause of death later this week. . . Spencer was part of a powerhouse group of Santa Cruz surfers in the 80s that included Richard Schmidt, Vince Collier and Anthony Ruffo. Melissa Kreger, his common law wife of nearly 20 years, called Spencer her soul mate.
Spencer’s cause of death has not been officially released. Like other Santa Cruz surfers of his generation Spencer’s life was “consumed by drug and alcohol abuse,” according to the story. Our thoughts are with Spencer’s family and especially Melissa Kreger.
[Link: Santa Cruz Sentinel]
