Former South African professional surfer and entrepreneur, co-founder of Gotcha, Michael Tomson, died today, Thursday, October 8, from throat cancer, reported the specialized surfing business site, Shop Eat Surf.

Tomson was 66 and an icon of creativity; the aforementioned website describes him as “one of the most creative marketers and designers in the industry.” Based on this, he created Gotcha in a garage with his partner Joel Cooper and went from earning zero dollars to 120 million in seven years.

As described in books, articles and industry commentary, “the Gotcha scene was described as sex, drugs, and rock and roll in the early years,” SES writes.

After selling the company in 1997 after struggling with huge demand for its products, Tomson was critical of the surfing industry, saying that brands were all copying each other and no one was willing to risk designing something different.

As a professional surfer he competed on the tour but is perhaps best remembered for being a standout at Pipe, the queen of the waves.

He was married and had a son.