Dirty Sanchez star Mike ‘Pancho’ Locke dies aged 47 as co-stars pay tribute
Tributes are pouring in for Michael “Pancho” Locke, the skateboarder and stuntman who became a cult favourite on MTV’s Dirty Sanchez, after his death at the age of 47.
The news was shared on Friday morning by San Portablo, the Welsh streetwear brand Locke co-owned, in a statement written together with his family. They described him as “an absolute Welsh treasure” who “lived an incredible life and lit up the world with his charm”. No cause of death has been made public, according to The Independent.
Britain’s answer to Jackass
Dirty Sanchez launched on MTV in 2003 as a home-grown rival to the American hit Jackass, and quickly earned a reputation for pushing its painful stunts even further. Locke starred alongside Mathew Pritchard, Lee Dainton and Dan Joyce across four series that ran until 2007.
The show began in Newport and took the group around the world. BBC Wales reported that it aired in 64 countries and reached more than 400 million viewers. The four also made Dirty Sanchez: The Movie in 2006.
Earlier this year, Dainton said in a podcast interview that a follow-up film reuniting the original line-up was in development for 2027, and joked that it would likely be “more wholesome” now that the group was sober, LADbible reported.
Friends remember “Panch”
Pritchard, who is currently trekking in the Himalayas, said Locke “was the best” and that he would dedicate his journey to Everest base camp to his friend. On Instagram he wrote: “I love you Panch, until we meet again rest in power.”
Dainton shared a series of photos and recalled the premiere of the spin-off show Pritchard vs Dainton, where the pair had secretly given Locke his own skating segment. When his name appeared on screen to Dean Martin’s That’s Amore, he said, the whole cinema erupted — and Locke “had absolutely no idea”.
Comedian Sando Ford said he was “devastated”, describing Locke as “clever, hilarious, and loyal” and remembering how he would travel to open mic nights just to support him.
After his television years, Locke returned to Port Talbot in 2018 and helped run San Portablo and its shop in the town. The brand’s founder, former steelworker Nigel Hunt, told the BBC that Locke was “a tonic” and “a good man” who “lit up rooms for 47 years”.
For a generation who grew up watching the Welsh crew’s chaos, the loss of one of its original four is being felt far beyond Port Talbot.
