Five Tattoo Icons That Have Perished In 2019

The tattoo industry has lost some of its most iconic icons this year. They had a huge impact on the way we see tattooing today. These artists, whether they are old-school icons or television tattoo artists, will make tattooing a whole new experience. Check out the photo gallery to see who is missing, and then comment on the story using the Comments section.

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A post shared by Lyle Tuttle (@lyle.tuttle)

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Lyle Tuttle

Lyle Tuttle started tattooing in 1949 at age 18 and quickly rose to fame as one of the best-known artists around the globe. Tuttle was well-known for his tattooing of many Hollywood stars, such as Janis Joplin or Cher. This made tattooing much more popular. Tuttle was the first to have tattoos on seven continents. He did this by inking an Antarctica client at Russian Bellingshausen Station. Tuttle died at Ukiah (California) on March 25, 2019.

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A post shared by Opie Ortiz (@tattoosbyopie)

Rick Walters

Rick Walters started tattooing at 14 years old in 1959. He then began tattooing at the Pike in Long Beach. Walters took over Bert Grimm’s World Famous Tattoo in 1978 and went on to revitalize the shop to its former glory until the changing of the guard in 2002. Walters taught many tattooers in Southern California the rules and rites of American Traditional and throughout his career, maintained an grizzled old school mentality about the industry—going so far as handing out “Rick Walters Hates You” stickers at tattoo events. Walters, who was 83, died on March 4th 2019, in Sunset Beach.

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Jayce Wallingford

Jayce Wallingford (a 2019 black and grey geometric tattoo artist) died unexpectedly on October 28th. This shocked the tattoo world. Wallingford, who was based out of All Sacred Tattoo Studio Denver, Colorado, attracted many clients because of his detailed mandalas, intricate florals, and bulletproof technical application.