JACKASS STAR KILLED IN ACCIDENT; EBERT SCORED FOR COMMENT

Ryan Dunn, who appeared on the Jackass TV series on MTV and in the three theatrical movies based on the series, was killed in a car crash when his car hit a tree and burst into flames in West Goshen Township, PA on Monday. Dunn was incinerated and was identified by his tattoos. A passenger in the car, who has not been identified, was also killed. The gossip website TMZ published photographs of the 34-year-old stuntman drinking at a bar hours before the accident. They had earlier been posted to Dunn’s Twitter account. MTV and Dunn’s Jackass costars issued de rigueur statements mourning his loss and expressing condolences to the bereaved. But film critic Roger Ebert apparently thought a lesson could be learned from the tragedy: “Friends don’t let jackasses drink and drive,” he tweeted. His comment enraged fellow Jackass star Bam Margera: “I have been crying hysterical for a full day and piece of s**t roger ebert has the gall to put in his 2 cents about a jackass drunk driving and [he is] one, f*** you!” he replied on Twitter. Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton also weighed in, accusing Ebert of commenting “too soon” on the accident. But Ebert noted that Hilton’s readers mostly supported his remarks. “He drank, he drove, 2 people died,” he responded. Later he said that Facebook had “removed my page in response, apparently to malicious complaints from one or two jerks.” The page was later restored.