Jeff Webb, former mentor of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, has died at the age of 76 during a tragic pickleball accident.
Webb, a Texas businessman, died this past Friday after succumbing to a serious head injury he endured playing pickleball just two weeks prior. Turning Point USA commemorated him as a “dear friend” to Charlie.
“In memory of Jeff Webb. A visionary who helped shape generations of young leaders and believed deeply in the power of community and country. A dear friend to Turning Point USA and Charlie. He will be greatly missed,” the organization said on X.
Webb made a name for himself in the pioneering of modern cheerleading. He became a mentor to Kirk when the TPUSA founder was just 24, per the New York Post:
Away from politics, Webb, dubbed the “father of modern cheerleading,” founded Varsity Spirit at the age of just 24 in 1974.
He called for cheer routines to feature more acrobatic and athletic elements, according to the New York Times, and helped bring competitions to televisions across the US.
Varsity staffers even nicknamed the private jet Webb traveled on “Cheer Force One” and a spokesperson said he “played a pivotal role in shaping cheerleading as it exists today.”
Webb told Real America’s Voice following Charlie’s death that the TPUSA founder “had it all — charisma, faith, respect for everyone,” adding that America “may have lost a future president” and that he gave hope to college students.
“They were isolated and Charlie’s message and his just charisma gave them definition,” he said. “It gave them hope. It made them feel that they were okay and what they stood for were good things.”
“And then eventually as he created Turning Point and the conferences, he was able to bring those young people from around the country together and they discovered other people felt like they did, and they had friends all over the country who shared this belief,” he added.
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