This week the world of skaters and fans of Bam Margera all came together with a huge collective smile as they saw a video of the 37-year-old back on a skateboard.
As of late Margera has put his first love on the back burner, dismissing the profession that lead him to success, money and glory.
Bam's skating skills propelled him to stardom back in the late 90s when he was sponsored by Toy Machine Skateboards in 1997. During his increase in popularity thanks to CKY videos, Jackass and appearance in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3, Bam, real name Brandon Cole Margera, signed to Team Element.
Credit: Team Element
In all of Bam's projects, be it Jackass, CKY, Viva La Bam, Bam's Unholy Union or the Gumball 3000, he incorporates skating. Heading into the filming for Jackass Number 2, the skater seemed to be at the peak of his powers, with his various TV shows and skating coming together to make him a fortune.
In the beginning the skits filmed by Bam and his friends Ryan Dunn, Brandon DiCamillo, Chris Raab and Rake Yohn were just simple, mess-about things they enjoyed doing. They had no real idea what to do with them, but would often show them off in school when a teacher would let them play the tapes.
According to Brandon DiCamillo, fellow classmates enjoyed the videos, so they thought they may as well produce them and independently release them with the money Bam was making from his sponsorship deal.
The videos gained attention by Jeff Tremaine, who'd go on to become the director and co-creator of Jackass. At the time he was editor at Big Brother, a skating mag which had featured articles on CKY, as well as Wee Man and Johnny Knoxville.
Credit: Bam Margera Productions
After Jackass 3D, Steve-O appeared on The Howard Stern Show to talk about the film. He spoke of how after all these years there was still a sort of 'pecking order' in the group, with Knoxville and Margera spearheading it.
"Technically the order goes: Johnny, then Bam, then me," Steve-O said. "Do I resent that? Erm, I don't know. You know, when it all started Bam had his CKY crew. There was like two camps, and Jackass served as a function of merging these camps.
Truth be told the pair's status as the head of the two crews, and subsequently the merged group, put them in good stead. They've come out the other side of their Jackass-ery rich as fuck. Knoxville is worth a reported $75 million, whereas Bam sits on a tidy $45 million.
Over the last few years or so it seems that all of Bam's hard work somewhat disappeared as he battle struggles with alcohol. Anyone who knows anything about him is aware that his issues are a direct result of the death of his best friend and co-star Ryan Dunn.
Dunn passed away in 2011 alongside his friend Zachary Hartwell while driving under the influence, crashing his car into a tree in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
The news was devastating for fans, co-stars, family and friends. However, no friend took it harder than Bam.
To quote the man himself, he and Dunn were 'hands down best friends'. The footage of Bam crying by the side of the road where Dunn tragically crashed was only the beginning of a downward spiral.
The death lead to rapid weight gain for Bam, as well as alcohol abuse.
He also started a musical venture called Fuckface Unstoppable - a comical rap persona, featuring songs about stuff like bending his dick back and fucking himself in the ass.
Despite his new venture, he always seemed to find himself in trouble. He would often find himself in fights, getting jumped, in jail, or in hospital.
A video titled Bam Margera's Typical Day is pretty much all you need to watch to understand the kind of shit that went on.
Following years of touring, dipping in and out of television appearances and general tomfoolery, Bam became a hermit. He would stay at home where he 'didn't have to deal with any shit', but still drank heavily.
Fast forward to the start of 2015 and Bam announced that he was producing an autobiographical documentary called I Need Time To Stay Useless.
Credit: Ride/Bam Margera Productions
The doc shows Bam's childhood, rise to fame and then his darkest moments when dealing with Dunn's death.
A friend of Bam's was cast as Ryan Dunn, appearing in what has been described as 'dramatic fantasy interludes' that tie the film together while also re-enacting what Margera considers his 'darkest moments' after Dunn's death.
As of now, the documentary is still yet to be released.
Recently he appeared in Family Therapy With Dr Jenn, when he was checked into rehab by his mum after she feared for his death.
Bam gave a quote about drinking, saying: "Since Dunn got in that crash, everything has changed dramatically, and instead of drinking for fun with your friends, it turned into drinking to forget."
The show followed him in rehab, where he talked about suicidal thoughts and how he's struggled to cope with life since 2011.
Currently Bam is married to Nicole Boyd, whom he is in Spain with as he reportedly attempts to reignite his skateboarding career after five years away from it.
The video, uploaded by Jenkem Magazine, shows him in similar form from years gone by, which is great to see.
Credit: jenkemmag
Having parted way with Team Element, his long-time sponsors, back in early 2016, his time in Spain appears to be away to do some serious shit as a way to get back on the team.
Above all else, it's pretty much just great to see him in better health. He's had a hair cut, he's neatly shaven, and generally looks like the kid that used to make us laugh. Also, if you look through his Instagram it appears to be obvious that he's genuinely emphatic about what he's up to these days.
Featured Image Credit: Instagram/PATopics: Bam Margera, Jackass