HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Erik Gates, an amateur rocketeer who appeared on several episodes of MythBusters, has died after a freak accident in Southern California. He was 47.
Gates was killed on Dec. 20 when he fell through a skylight in Newbury Park, Calif. while working for his company, Gateco Electric. The married father of three was walking across the roof of the Xirrus Inc. building when the accident occurred, according to the Ventura County Star.
“He was a good guy,” Steve DeGennaro, Xirrus Inc.’s co-founder and chief financial officer, told the paper. “He survived cancer, he jumps with parachutes, he base jumps. He’s an active guy who was used to taking precautions. This was a freak accident that shouldn’t have happened.”
Gates appeared in several episodes of the Discovery Channel program, which dedicated Monday’s episode to the fallen star.
“Team MB wishes to express our deepest sympathies on the passing of our beloved rocket expert, Erik. You were an honorary MythBuster and will be sorely missed,” the program said on Twitter.
Gates and his brother chronicled their passion for rocketry through the Web site, Gates Brothers Rocketry.
In addition to his brother, Gates is survived by his wife, Beth, and their three children, Jessica, Ashley, and David.
