One of Charlie Kirk’s key early mentors has died in a freak pickleball accident.
Texas businessman Jeff Webb, described by Kirk’s Turning Point USA as a “visionary who helped shape generations of young leaders,” died Friday at the age of 76 — two weeks after suffering a serious head injury when he fell playing the popular sport, Cheer Daily reported.
The conservative author — who was also widely dubbed the father of modern cheerleading — succumbed after two weeks on life support.
TPUSA posted a nearly 10-minute tribute to him Friday, calling him “a dear friend to Turning Point USA and Charlie.”
“He will be greatly missed,” the group said.
Webb was an early mentor to Kirk, whom he met when Kirk was just 24 — and later hailed his friend as a potential future president before his assassination last year.
“He had amazing drive. I was overwhelmed with his maturity, his intelligence. He just had so many incredible leadership qualities,” Webb told One America News Network, recalling his early encounters with the activist who also became an ally of President Trump.
Following Kirk’s death, Webb told Real America’s Voice he “had it all — charisma, faith, respect for everyone” before going on to say the US “may have a lost a future president.”
Webb described Kirk as a “giant of the MAGA movement” — saying his message resonated with students who held conservative beliefs but couldn’t relate to the Republican establishment.
“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.”
Webb attended the ceremony where Kirk was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
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.”
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