Rick Walters (tattoo 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]

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

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. Connell, Charlie (March 5, 2019). "Legendary Tattoo Artist Rick Walters Passes Away at 72". Inked. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  3. 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. 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.
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