Dirty Sanchez star Michael Locke, known as Pancho, dies aged 47

Michael Richard Locke, the stunt performer and skateboarder known to fans as Pancho, has died aged 47, according to an announcement shared by the Welsh clothing brand San Portablo. Locke appeared on the MTV series Dirty Sanchez, which made him familiar to viewers through its extreme stunts and challenges. San Portablo announced the news on Instagram in a tribute written jointly on behalf of the company and Locke’s family. The message described him as a father, son, brother, uncle, friend, skater and stuntman, and called him “an absolute Welsh treasure”. It also praised his charm and said his legacy would continue to grow. The shop was to close for the day in his memory. The series followed Locke and fellow Welsh performers Matthew Pritchard, Lee Dainton and Dan Joyce as they took on dangerous pranks and painful challenges. First broadcast in 2003, Dirty Sanchez developed a cult following, and the group later brought its stunts to the big screen in the 2006 film Dirty Sanchez: The Movie. In recent years, Locke had also put his energy into San Portablo, a clothing label celebrating Port Talbot. The business was founded by his close friend Nigel Hunt after Hunt lost his job at the local steelworks. Locke spoke to WalesOnline this year about wanting the town to be seen for more than its industrial past, saying the brand helped celebrate the community and put it on the map. He also expressed sympathy for people who had lost work at the steelworks, while saying Port Talbot was finding its way through a cultural moment of its own. His comments reflected the local pride that the company sought to promote. Locke’s death has prompted tributes from those associated with the brand and the show that introduced him to audiences. The San Portablo post remembered him as a friend whose presence, it said, had lit up the world.