RIP. Sad news today, NASCAR legend Dick Trickle has died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Details after the jump…
Via WSOCTV:
Retired racecar driver Richard “Dick” Trickle, 71, died Thursday from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to Lincoln County officials.
The shooting occurred at 12:02 p.m. at Forest Lawn Cemetery on Highway 150 East in Boger City.
The Lincoln County Communications Center received a call, apparently from Trickle, that “there would be a dead body and it would be his.” Communications Center workers tried to place a return call to the number but did not get an answer.
The first emergency units arriving at the scene found the body lying near Trickle’s pickup truck.
Trickle was a Lincoln County resident and had lived here since the early 1990s.
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Update via TMZ:
2:44 PM PT — NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France just commented on Trickle’s death … saying, “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Dick Trickle on his passing today.”
“Dick was a legend in the short-track racing community, particularly in his home state of Wisconsin, and he was a true fan favorite. Personalities like Dick Trickle helped shape our sport. He will be missed.”
2:28 PM PT — We’re told … Trickle’s body was removed from the cemetery and has been transported to a nearby hospital.
2:17 PM PT — Multiple sources who knew Trickle tell us he had been sick for a while and depressed. We’re not sure what kind of illness Trickle had been suffering from.
1:51 PM PT — Law enforcement sources tell TMZ … Trickle did leave a suicide note at the death scene. The contents of the note are unclear at this time.
