Rick Walters (tattoo artist)

Rick Walters
Born(1945-09-05)September 5, 1945
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
DiedMarch 4, 2019(2019-03-04) (aged 73)
Long Beach, California, U.S.
OccupationTattoo artist

Rick Walters (September 5, 1945 – March 4, 2019) was an American tattoo artist. He was known for his take on American traditional tattooing.[1][2]

Biography

Rick Walters was born in Chicago, Illinois on September 5, 1945.[3][4] He grew up in Hawthorne, California.[3]

In 1959, he went to the Pike, an amusement zone in Long Beach, California, and got a tattoo on his leg.[3] He found work as a machinist and welder after high school.[3] In his off time, he went to the Pike and learned tattooing under Bob Shaw, Owen Jensen, and Hong Kong Tom.[3]

From 1978 to 2002, Walters worked as the manager of Bert Grimm's World Famous Tattoo, the oldest continuously operated tattoo shop in the United States.[3][5] After the closing of the shop, he retired for several months, but after having a heart attack, he went back to tattooing.[2] In the 2010s, he opened a tattoo shop, Rick Walters' World Famous Tattoo Parlor, in Sunset Beach, California.[3]

He taught multiple tattoo artists in Southern California the rules and rites of American traditional tattooing.[6]

He died at the age of 73 on March 4, 2019.[7] He had been battling health issues after doctors found blood clots in his lungs to add to myriad other ailments.[4]

References

  1. ^ Chesler, Josh (March 3, 2019). "Icon Rick Walters hates you, but the tattoo community loves him". Long Beach Post. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Connell, Charlie (March 5, 2019). "Legendary Tattoo Artist Rick Walters Passes Away at 72". Inked. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Arellano, Gustavo (March 7, 2019). "Rick Walters, grizzled sage of Southern California tattoo culture, dies at 73". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Chesler, Josh (March 4, 2019). "Tattoo icon Rick Walters dies at age 73". Long Beach Post. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  5. ^ Chesler, Josh (May 4, 2015). "Legendary Tattooer Rick Walters Doesn't Really Hate You". OC Weekly. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  6. ^ Preston, Devon (December 5, 2019). "5 Tattoo Icons Who Passed Away in 2019". Inked. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  7. ^ Chesler, Josh (March 28, 2019). "Late Tattoo Legend Rick Walters Gets Celebrated With an Art Show". OC Weekly. Retrieved February 4, 2023.