MALIBU—Hollywood is mourning the loss of one of its most celebrated plastic surgeons. On Tuesday, August 17, Dr. Frank Ryan, who lived in Malibu, was returning home from a hike with his dog. His last tweet stated, “After 25 years of driving by, I finally hiked to the top of the giant sand dune on the PCH west of Malibu. Much harder than it looks! Whew!”
This hike turned out to be his last, as on the drive home, he lost control of the vehicle, which caused it to fly off the side of the road and onto the rocks below.
Emergency units responded to the call and lifeguards attempted to rescue Ryan, who was trapped inside his car. Though he was still alive after the impact, he had sustained serious head injuries. The Ventura County Fire Department was in the process of organizing a helicopter rescue for Ryan, but called it off as the doctor died at the scene. Ryan’s dog was found after the crash and was transported to a nearby veterinary hospital where he is being treated.
Dr. Ryan, whose clientele includes Gene Simmons, Vince Neil and Adrianne Curry, was receiving a lot of press attention for the extensive work he performed on reality star Heidi Montag, and in the wake of his death, there has been an outpouring of emotion as Ryan’s friends and clients reacted to the news.
Montag, star of MTV’s hit show “The Hills,” received numerous controversial surgeries from the doctor earlier this year. On her Twitter page, she writes,“I am devastated to hear the news of Dr. Frank Ryan’s death. He was the most amazing person I have ever known”¦ He was the most brilliant talented surgeon who will ever exist. Dr. Frank Ryan changed the world.”
Janice Dickinson, also expressed her condolences at the loss of her friend. Janice’s representative issued a statement to TMZ saying, “Janice is deeply, deeply anguished! She is stunned and wants the world to know what a genius Dr. Ryan was. He was a friend and my love goes out to his mother and the rest of the family.”
As police continue their investigations into the incident, many people are questioning the involvement of Twitter in the accident as Ryan was texting or “tweeting” while driving. Ryan sent out a tweet right before the crash, a photo of his dog taken during his hike. Charmaine Blake, a Hollywood publicist and ex-girlfriend of the doctor, has stated that she believes this to be the cause of the crash. However, police and CHP are investigating all possibilities.
