About Jeff Grosso - Pro Skateboarder Profile, Biography and History

Jeff Blaine Grosso was born on April 28, 1968, in Arcadia, California, U.S. He started skateboarding at the tender age of 5 and quickly fell in love with the sport. By the time he was 12, he was already competing in skateboarding contests, making a name for himself on the scene.

Jeff Grosso was one of the most recognizable skateboarders in the United States during the 1980s, particularly known for his skills in vert skating.

In 1982, Vans shoes, began sponsoring Grosso. This partnership continued until 2020, with Vans supporting his popular YouTube show, "Love Letters to Skateboarding".

At the age of 16, Grosso left his first board sponsor, Variflex, to join Santa Cruz skateboards.

Jeff Grosso was not only a skateboarder but also an unofficial historian of skateboarding. His popular YouTube series, “Love Letters to Skateboarding,” delved into the rich and often murky history of skateboarding, sharing stories and insights with younger skaters.

During the 1990s, Grosso battled heroin addiction. He got sober in 2005 and made a triumphant return to professional skateboarding.

In early 2011, Grosso joined Anti Hero Skateboards, a move he described as a proud moment.

Jeff Grosso’s legacy extends beyond his tricks on the board. He was a beloved figure in the skateboarding community, always willing to share his knowledge and passion. Sadly, he passed away on March 31, 2020, at the age of 51, at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach, California.

While Jeff is no longer with us, his skateboarding legacy will be eternal.

Jeff Grosso Skateboard Videos

Vision/NSA Ramp N Rage Down South Skateboard Video

Santa Cruz: Wheels of Fire Skateboard Video

"This were the real 80's..No cell phones, no internet, just a streets, asphalt, green grass and beautiful blue sky... Best decade"

"I sincerely believe that 1987 was the peak of humanity. All those thousands of years leading up to 1987 were just for 1987. Then it all started to go downhill and will never be that high again. Damn. This video is evidence. The music, the clothes, the style, the attitude, every fucking little detail can't be beaten."

"Best soundtrack of any skate video I've seen..."

"I miss the 80´s Santa Cruz sb with kryptonics wheels and smith trucks....I was just 17 and skating all the time with my bro and friends. No cell phones, no internet, just skate....heaven"

"I'm 45 now and loved this video when it came out in 1987. I remember going to Spyder Skate & Surf shop in Hermosa Beach, CA to buy it the first day it was available. Good Times."

"42 yrs old and I still skate Santa Cruz roskopp face decks , old school reissue ones , fkn love them , either with Powell rat bones for park , and Santa Cruz vomits for street, and for cruising slime balls, Santa Cruz alive and well in the U.K."

"The raging waters footage with the soundtrack really brings back what the 80s actually felt like. the vert skating was legendary. they were blasting airs out of that ramp, nearly all the shots are tracking them against the sky.

Black Label: Label Kills Skateboard Video

"When i was a kid i just didnt understand mike v's part in this video. i was like "ok?' im 36 now, and finally realizing the only handrail he hits in the whole part he does a fucking streetplant on lol. thanks mike v for keeping skating relevant for all of us"

"This was and is by far my all time favourite skate film. As iconic as they come. Black Label forever!"

"Grew up to this one! From the music, to the hammers..THANK YOU, JOHN LUCERO! THANK YOU, LABEL! Still a 10/10 to this day!"

"Might be my favorite skate video of all time. Used to watch this over and over in middle school! Thank you BlackLabel for all the amazing memories"

"Holy Shit ! I haven’t seen this is 20 years !!! I couldn’t remember the exact name ! Used to watch everyday with friends. Holy Shit. Mike Vallely !!! Thank you thank you friend"

"One of the best of all time, Grosso rip"

Antihero Skateboards: Destination Unknown Skateboard Video

"Anti-Hero represents the true spirit of skateboarding, travel, friends, fun, public menace, skating fast and raw, and the heart of punk rock and rebellion. Legends."

"Can't believe this is the first time i'm watching this. RIP Grosso"

"I cant believe its been 6 years already, grosso's back 50's were absolute. rip jeff"

"This is the best skate video I've seen in a long time. I respect everything about Antihero  so much and I just get a whole different vibe from this team. It's the most pure and raw skateboarding of this generation and I consider the whole lineup to be legendary. Skaters like Cardiel and Roy who've been through so much and are so humbled to be able to skate with their homies every day. These are the skateboarders who truly keep it real with themselves and to the art of skateboarding. Fuck yes Antihero....Fuck yes."

"Shit man! That's so sad. When the hell did skateboarding turn sour and sold its soul? THAT IS what skateboarding should be right there! A bunch of dudes in a truck traveling for the perfect spots, dirty jeans, drinking beers, having fun and skating all day long and not giving a shit about anything else. Guys truly living and breathing skateboarding & not only looking to impress Nike with the last switch 360 flip tailslide inward heel out or something. That's how it should be, not all those stupid jockish monsters contests full of non-skake sponsors like Red Bull and shit like that just there to make a dime. I'm telling you skateboarding somewhere lost it and is gone now...

Thanks to all these guys and keeping it alive and real, for real!"

"I've watched it so many times that I finally got to realize that at 11:12 the first dude with the broom is edited in and the background (the actual spot) is put on green screen! haaaa! sick! one of the best movies ever!"

"Congratulations, the skating is of course off the charts! Stoked on how you have laid a blueprint out on how to travel and have fun with your friends. That was, is, and will always be what I like about being a skateboarder."

Jeff Grosso | The Nine Club With Chris Roberts - Episode 85

"The show that has skateboarders talking - This week Jeff Grosso discusses growing up in Eagle Rock CA, moving to Arcadia, quitting high school a credit short a month before graduation, his first sponsor Variflex, getting on Powell Peralta, leaving Powell Peralta to turn pro for Schmitt Stix, his heavy drug use, smuggling a ball of hash through airport security for Hosoi, partying on Robitussin, nearly killing Ross Goodman, leaving Santa Cruz for Lucero Limited which turned into Black Label, overdosing and almost dying multiple times, working normal jobs to get by, getting on Vans and Antihero, how he feels about skateboarding in the Olympics, Love letters and much more!" The Nine Club

 "Years on from Grosso's passing, this interview just hits all the best notes and lays it all out. It brought out Grosso's warmth, charisma, honesty, and sense of humor."

"R.I.P. Grosso. Can't tell y'all what guys like Jeff meant to my teenage years and even more as an old dude when he started doing Love letters."

"Grosso was one of the most authentic human beings ever. His unwavering, unconditional and neverending love of skateboarding, skateboarders and all things skateboarding came through in everything he said and did. Whether you were close with him or if you never even met him, if you are a skater, he felt like a friend and a brother and he NEVER stopped standing up and speaking out for what's right in and with skateboarding. He was our voice. He was the one who cut through all the bulls**t and said what he felt (and usually what we were all thinking). Right or wrong....but he was right MUCH more often than he was wrong. He was an original and he was gone much too soon. I hope his son Oliver and his close friends and family are doing well and I know that they'll never let him be forgotten. RIP Grosso"

Jeff Grosso, the regular man’s skateboarding legend

"For decades, Jeff Grosso lived and breathed skateboarding, spreading his passion for the sport in person and in his digital series with Grosso’s YouTube series is “Loveletters to Skateboarding” His friends and family recall his passion, his character and what made him a skateboarding legend."

"I recently seen a video where he talks about his board setup. He said he didn't grip the nose as a tribute to the sk8ers of the 70s. I just gripped a new deck and didn't grip the nose as a tribute to GROSSO. LEGENDS NEVER DIE"

"Grosso is the word “stoked” personified. I believe he captured the essence of skateboarding and passed it on to others. That’s why he was so beloved, admired. Just always came across as rad and a real ass dude."

"There was nothing better than flipping thru an old Thrasher or zine or anything and seeing Grosso's big smile.  True Living!  RIP JEFF GROSSO.  GET OUT AND SKATE...I am 48 and still kick a Grosso re-issue.  So thank you for tattooing those words on my heart."

Grosso Forever: The Loveletters Series Finale | Skate | VANS

"After a decade of sharing Jeff Grosso’s unique, raw commentary with the world, Love Letters to Skateboarding is coming to a close with this special final episode.

Hosted by Jeff’s son, Oliver Grosso, and weaving together the powerful storytelling of Jeff’s closest friends and some of the most influential skateboarders of all time this grand send off honors Jeff’s legacy.

Jeff’s love for skateboarding shined through in everything he said and did, and there isn’t a more poignant example of this than his time on the Love Letters.

The series will live on as an eternal encyclopedia of everything skateboarding holds dear and a reminder of Jeff’s lasting impact on the culture and its community."

"I met Jeff in '92 in Huntington Beach at a bar called Taxi's, he was with Scott Ian of Anthrax. I was a 20 year old wide eyed, fairly average skater from a small town in Scotland who's first proper skateboard was the Grosso toybox. Jeff was so down to earth and happy to talk for hours over a few drinks, i'll never forget that night - Grosso Forever"

"Hate to see this series come to an end, but I know in my heart that it is the right thing to do. Much love Jeff, thank you for inspiring me to hop back onto the little wooden toy everyday"

"Jeff Grosso single handedly taught me everything i’ve needed to know about skateboarding and more. He hated skate coaches but i’m thankful i had him as mine, i strictly follow the Grosso School of Thought. Thank you for the years of guidance and wisdom, thank you for giving me a sense of community and understanding. It seems so weird never having met someone but feeling so connected and close with them it’s odd how skateboarding can do that to people. I grew up from a little 12 year old to the now 21 year old worshipping The Love Letters, studying them, obsessing over some even. The way Jeff viewed skateboarding was so beautiful and so unique he changed my life forever. That is the power of a passionate human being, and an even more passionate skateboarder. Thank you for giving this misfit, and so many others, a sense of belonging. GROSSO FOREVER."