RIP - Wayne Coombs

We have information coming in from various sources that Wayne Coombs has passed. I'll post more information as I get it. A real loss to the community.

I am very sad to report that Wayne Coombs has died. The founder of Mai Tiki, he was a huge personality and a tremendous influence on tiki art in Florida and beyond. I interviewed him several times. His importance to art on the Space Coast and the identity of Cocoa Beach can't be underestimated. All that said, personally, he was a hoot - a force of nature who loved tiki, who loved art, who loved the beach. He always had an eye for a sale, and his customers loved buying his work, because his heart was in it. I'll miss him.

Wow, that's tragic, the gravity of this loss is not easy to comprehend... Condolences to his family, many friends, and co-workers. I have a Mai Tiki carving prominently displayed in my kitchen and will fondly remember the hours I spent with Wayne choosing "the right carving" and also discussing his initial foray into other printed art.

Very sad indeed, my condolences to the family.

Found this quickly searching.

http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20120904/ENTERTAINMENT06/120904020/Wayne-Coombs-talented-charismatic-tiki-artist-dies

RIP Mai Tiki!

McTiki

If you want to see one of the video interviews I did with Wayne when I worked at Florida Today, go to this page and scroll down - it's fourth from the bottom. It shows him making a tiki puppet.
http://www.chriskridler.com/galleries/video/

[ Edited by: TornadoTiki 2012-09-04 13:50 ]

Such a good friend and frequent contributor to The Hukilau. I'll treasure the times I had with him at his awesome compound. This years Hukilau will be dedicated to his memory.....

horrible- I just emailed him a couple weeks ago because my wife and i were planning on visiting him soon. Never was there an indication that anything was wrong and he was looking forward to our visit since i had not seen him in a few years.... I can't believe he's gone. He was a great inspiration. The first carved tiki i ever bought was from wayne..... he will be missed.

I need a maitai..... right now.

Noooooo!
This is shocking!
He was SUCH a nice guy - and loving artist, meaning he loved his art. He loved creating.

This is a real loss.

He was a great guy.
RIP.

So very sad... Wayne was the godfather of Space Coast Tiki. His works provided the thematic element in so many area establishments, extending up the coast to include even such mid-century icons as the Makai Beach Lodge in Ormond Beach. RIP, Wayne.

-Tom

Wow, very sad news. He treated me and my Family very nicely when we paid him a visit while staying at the Wakulla Suites in Cocoa Beach. Planty of his work will live on all over the state fo Florida and beyond

It was just a few months ago when I last spoke with Wayne. He was a great artist as well as a person. My condolences go out to Becky and the rest of his family. He will be missed.

[ Edited by: tikivox 2012-09-04 18:38 ]

Sucky...

Whoa, terrible!
Along with countless other beginning tiki carvers, HIS style was the look that I used as "reference" when I was starting out.
R.I.P Wayne.

Here are local Florida Today newspaper articles regarding Wayne's passing:

This morning's article posted late evening September 4, 2012

Yesterday afternoon's article also posted September 4, 2012

-Tom

Thanks for posting that.

Sad stuff.

Wayne made Hukilau 2002 great and gave so much. Was lucky to visit him and hear his story many times. A real friend and such a truly unique and wonderful person. I was very happy to introduce him to Sven and seat them together for dinner. I saw him in Plastic Paradise and it was fantastic. I am sad he never saw it.

Back in 2002, I was lucky enough to have my booth right next to Wayne's at the ASR Tradeshow in Florida. Over the few days I got the opportunity to really get to know the Big Fellow and for that I'm grateful. We were just in contact a few weeks ago and were going to do a project together. This is sad. My condolences to Becky Coombs. Wayne is/was a hugely significant part of why Tiki exists today - period.

RIP Wayne. Great day driving up to Cocoa to purchase a Tiki from his gallery. Sits proudly in my yard.

[ Edited by: SoBeTiki 2012-09-05 12:38 ]

saw one of his tiki's in a grocery store in the area many years ago when I was out on vacation. "Mai Tiki" carved in the side. asked the manager where they came from... he pointed down the street. Went right over to his studio and bought a couple of them. Great guy, will be missed.

What a shock. Too soon, Wayne! A gnarly guy, a true Florida self-made artiste, his influential style could be seen from Florida to Hawaii.

Here's a great gallery of shots of his studio:
http://thetikichick.com/2009/11/30/wayne-coombs-mai-tiki-studio/

This photo appeared in today's edition of the local Florida Today newspaper (couldn't find it in the online version)...

Florida Today September 7, 2012

-Tom

I don't think I knew who the guy was when we first met. Little did I know his personality was as big as the guy in the elevator at Hukilau Holiday Inn. I knew of his work all the way in AZ long before Tiki Craze happened. So awesome he existed... And will forever with those little Mai Tiki chisel marks...

It was very rewarding how jazzed he was that I included him in my 'classic mainland tiki chess pieces' seeing that the Book of Tiki left him for the second edition.. Since he was a newcomer and all....

Just saw a tweet that they are planning a celebration of Wayne's life at the Mai Tiki from 1 - 6 p.m. Sunday September 23. I will pass along more details and I get them.

[ Edited by: TikiHardBop 2012-09-07 10:21 ]

Thank you for the info George! There many that aren't on this forum that want to know when and where...

Thanks again! Mahalo!

McTiki

RIP Wayne!! I have a couple of your pieces on the far west coast.
SKAL,
Erik The Red

A letter to the editor from a well-known personality:

http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20120908/OPINION/120906015/Letter-Tiki-artist-Wayne-Coombs-forged-his-own-path-?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|s

Tiki artist Wayne Coombs 'forged his own path'

Written by
Otto von Stroheim, Tiki News
Alameda, Calif.

Big kudos to FLORIDA TODAY report Pam Harbaugh for recognizing Wayne Coombs, who passed away earlier this week, as a Florida legend.

Not only was Wayne a warm and amazing human being, he is a legend in the world of tiki carving. Wayne created his own style now known as “the Florida style” by teaching new carvers who later left to start their own businesses.

I had the honor of interviewing Wayne in 2000 and visiting his then new studio in Cocoa Beach. He is an American folk artist who forged his own path right from the start. A self-made man and an inspiration to many.

Wayne will be sorely missed in the tiki world and in Florida, I’m sure.

I heard the news when I got a call from Nick Camera. Sad to hear of losing Wayne, to say the least. Nick offered me the chance to interview Wayne a few years ago for Tiki Magazine and I was honored to get to know such a leader among carvers. Hearing Wayne describe the triumphs and setbacks in his life made me appreciate the man outside of his abilities. He was surely a giant and will be terribly missed.

On 2012-09-07 09:25, crazy al wrote:
I don't think I knew who the guy was when we first met. Little did I know his personality was as big as the guy in the elevator at Hukilau Holiday Inn. I knew of his work all the way in AZ long before Tiki Craze happened. So awesome he existed... And will forever with those little Mai Tiki chisel marks...

It was very rewarding how jazzed he was that I included him in my 'classic mainland tiki chess pieces' seeing that the Book of Tiki left him for the second edition.. Since he was a newcomer and all....

Wayne said he was working on "The Book of Tacky".

This is terrible news! When we opened Otto's Shrunken Head I knew I wanted some great Tikis for our front window. I came across Wayne's work and ordered 4 tikis (3 wood and one smoke breathing fiberglass). When they arrived everyone was stunned at the amazing work he did and his awesome work has remained the centerpiece of our display for the last 10 years and will be for all the years to come. Wayne you will be missed RIP
steve/otto's

Here are a few of Wanyes tiki.
The first one is the style he is know best for.
Next is his Glowi Moai.
And last large fiberglass tiki w/ smoke that comes out of his nose.

Wayne was the first person we interviewed for the upcoming Plastic Paradise documentary. We spent the day with him, filming him work, talking about his life and having a great time. We'll miss him.

We put together a brief video remembrance of Wayne doing what he did best. See it here: http://plasticparadisedoc.tumblr.com

Brett

I realize it may be too early to ask this, but has anyone heard what will become of Wayne's studio, his collection, works-in-progress, etc. going forward? I'd like to hear that museums or other parties will somehow ensure that his legacy will remain in the public eye.

Ace! We went garage saling this morning...I saw at least 50 Coombs carvings while we traveled roughly 40 miles round trip. As far as Mai Tiki..... His son was quite active in the recent projects here and abroad. Wayne also has a tribe of other carvers that know his recipes well enough to sustain his online biz. A bit early to speculate to your point. Drove by the studio this AM....

Mahalo

McTiki

Another video remembrance:

http://vimeo.com/48981684

And I'm pretty sure that the Mai Taki store will continue. Wayne built quite a crew there.

Nice!!!

Great video, give you a true sense of the man.

A few bits of paper from the Mai Tiki Studio from my collection in remembrance.

DC

I just posted my tribute to Wayne. Though I only met him a few times, he left a lasting impact:
http://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/2012/09/21/my-brush-with-greatness-remembering-wayne-coombs-1949-2012/

Here are a few photos from Wayne's studio in 2009:

And as usual, Wayne gets the last laugh ...

Don't know where else to put this so here it is.
Will post a link as well.
http://thebeachsideresident.com/2015/11/wayne-finally-gets-his-way/

Wayne Finally Gets His Way

The November issue is a tribute to Art. I’d like to say a few words about one artist in particular, someone that touched my life- Wayne Coombs.

Photos by Ray Baldino for Baldino Studios

When I first came to Cocoa Beach, my office started out in the old auto body shop on the corner of Brevard and Minutemen in Downtown. It was 2010, and I had just got out of the Marine Corps and found myself in Cocoa Beach beginning the exciting venture of small business ownership. Wayne’s Mai Tiki studio was just a couple hundred feet from there. I had rented the lot between both of our properties and we used to host events there. Wayne spoke of the alley behind our businesses and how he thought it really could be something. I agreed with him.

Wayne was a large man, some would say a giant. With this I also agree. He had a great hand shake and when he spoke you became immediately interested in what he was talking about. Sometimes a distinct aroma would come out of his gallery… He might say something along the lines of, “Like my cologne?” with squinty eyes and a cheeky smile. He had spent so much time at Mai Tiki that he had trained the curly tail lizards to eat from his hand.

Wayne and his wife Beki had spent over 40 years supporting the art community and it made me really think about how much someone had to love to do something to do it for 40 years. Wayne’s impact was significant. You see his art worldwide, and locally you see it at some pretty iconic place like the end of Minutemen Causeway leading into the beach, Coconuts on the Beach, Cocoa Beach Surf Company, the Cocoa Beach Pier, Sandbar, Ron Jon’s, the welcome sign for Cocoa Beach, and of course at Mai Tiki Market, just to name a few.

My relationship with Wayne was very short. He passed away on the street corner next to the Mai Tiki property on September 4th, 2012. In the short amount of time we spent together before his death I learned so much about him and his family, and how he had such a positive impact on the community and the people that surrounded him. Seeing this and wanting to make sure it continued for years to come, I made the decision to take ownership of Mai Tiki and carry on Wayne’s legacy.

Wayne Coombs by Ray Baldino

This month we invite you to come to Mai Tiki Market in Downtown Cocoa Beach during the Cocoa Beach Art Show where we will be hosting the ribbon cutting for Wayne Coombs Way, the newly renamed section of Burris Alley directly behind Mai Tiki Market. Please come join this celebration to honor the tiki carving legend. There will be live music, food and fun for all. For more information check out our Facebook or like Mai Tiki Market on Facebook to get more details.

I think Wayne would be excited about the future of Wayne Coombs Way. It has some great businesses on that street: Roberto’s, The Tiny Turtle, Wahoo Coffee, Hair Biz, The Fat Donkey, Rick Piper’s Big Art Studio, Nui Tiki, Coastal Produce and more to come. It is a family friendly environment where you can enjoy art and hopefully get inspired to create some on your own or maybe buy locally.

All and all I think Wayne would be happy… He always had a grin to spare. This one’s for you, Wayno.

By Craig Harriman

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