World champ Layne Beachley pays emotional tribute to Aussie surfing hero, 53, who died in bizarre accident after battling addiction

Aussie surfing icon Layne Beachley has paid tribute to Shane Herring, who died following a bizarre accident at his apartment on Sunday.

It is understood he had a fall at home, complained about having a sore head and went to have a rest.

Tragically, Herring never woke up. 

Herring, 53, grew up on Sydney’s northern beaches and famously won the Coke Surf Classic in 1992 at Narrabeen.

He beat then surfing prodigy Kelly Slater in the final – and the laid-back Herring found himself ranked the number one surfer in the world.

Sadly, addiction struggles with drugs and alcohol saw Herring never realise his potential, and Beachley said he will be missed by the surfing fraternity.

‘He was super dynamic….an aggressive surfer,’ Beachley, a seven-time world champion, told Daily Mail Australia.

‘I spent a lot of time with him, he was always supportive of me.

‘Surfing was Shane’s safe place, it was his family and gave him a sense of belonging.’

Much like Beachley, fellow surfing icon Kelly Slater was devastated to hear of Herring’s passing.

‘He best blended the old school power and pure lines with the new school mentality and speed in the 90’s,’ Slater posted on Instagram.

‘In the years we spent traveling and surfing together, I always found Shane to be a kindhearted guy and an extremely talented surfer, but he had his demons that limited his time of greatness. 

‘He loved the purity in surfing and was uncomfortable with the limelight and notoriety and scrutiny it brought him. 

‘He made a bigger mark than he might be known for these days and it hurts to know we won’t get to catch up again. I was really looking forward to seeing and maybe even surfing again in the coming months with Shane, whom I haven’t seen in probably 20+ years. 

‘Ride on, Shane. We’re thinking of ya.’