On July 30, 1989, Lane Frost died after a bull ride in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Lane Frost
Lane Frost at a rodeo event
Born: Lane Clyde Frost;October 12, 1963; La Junta, Colorado, U.S.
Died: July 30, 1989 (aged 25); Cheyenne, Wyoming, U.S.
Resting place: Mount Olivet Cemetery in Hugo, Oklahoma
Lane Clyde Frost (October 12, 1963 July 30, 1989) was an American professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in bull riding, and competed in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). He was the 1987 PRCA World Champion bull rider and a 1990 ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductee. He was the only rider to score qualified rides on the 1987 PRCA Bucking Bull of the Year and 1990 ProRodeo Hall of Fame bull Red Rock. He sustained severe injuries at the 1989
Cheyenne Frontier Days event when the bull Takin' Care of Business struck him after the ride, and he was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
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Death
On July 30, 1989, at
Cheyenne Frontier Days in Cheyenne, Wyoming, after completing a successful 85-point ride on a Brahma bull named Takin' Care of Business, who was owned by Bad Company Rodeo, Frost dismounted and landed in the mud. The bull then turned and pressed his right horn on Frost's back and pushed him against the muddy arena floor (although he was not gored), breaking several of his ribs. He initially rose to his feet, took a couple of steps, waved for help, then fell to the ground, causing his heart and lungs to be punctured by the broken ribs. Frost was rushed to Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead. He was 25 years old. No autopsy was performed. He posthumously finished third in the event.
Takin' Care of Business appeared at the 1990 National Finals Rodeo. He was then retired and put out to stud until he died in 1999.
Frost is buried near his hero and mentor, Freckles Brown, in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Hugo, Oklahoma.
Legacy
After Frost's death,
Cody Lambert, one of his traveling partners, created the protective vest that professional cowboys now wear when riding bulls. Later, in 1996, the PBR made protective vests mandatory.
In 1994, the biopic based on Frost's life,
8 Seconds, was released. Luke Perry played the role of Frost. Stephen Baldwin was cast as Tuff Hedeman.
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Montana Ag Network: How the death of Lane Frost changed rodeo
Photo by: Sue Rosoff/© Sue Rosoff
Lane waved a two-handed wave to the crowd at Spanish Fork, Utah after winning the final Challenge of the Challenge of the Champions 1988.
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Sue Rosoff Rodeo Photography ©
1987 World Champion, Lane Frost, and 1987 World Champion Buckin' Bull, Red Rock in San Jose, California.
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Sue Rosoff Rodeo Photography ©
George Michael interviewing Lane Frost and Tuff Hedeman in Cheyenne in 1989.
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