Rudy died in his sleep between the late/early hours of Saturday, January 25 and Sunday, January 26, 2025, according to his longtime buddy and colleague, Bob Tyrell. No cause of death was given for Rudy’s passing.
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“Got woken up this morning with the terrible news. My buddy Jack Rudy passed away in his sleep. The tattoo community is heartbroken today,” Tyrell shared in his Facebook post. “Jack was one of the kindest, funniest humans I ever met. Truly one of a kind,”
Aside Tyrell, many other tattoo artists from across generations all celebrated Rudy’s immense impact on the art form.
“Going to miss my buddy Jack Rudy,” another contemporary shared on Instagram. “Thanks for all the great memories and laughs as we traveled the world for 50 years,”
Rudy, born in 1954, is widely considered as one of the best tattoo artists in the world. He started his career in the 1970s and soon made a name for himself for his development of the black-and-gray style of tattooing. Rudy is also credited with pioneering single-needle use and realistic portraits.
Jack Rudy started his career as an apprentice at Goodtime Charlie’s Tatooland in East LA, taking up the job after leaving the Marines. Alongside a friend, Charlie Cartwright, they developed the single-needle, black-and-gray style tattoos that would become Rudy’s trademark.
Rudy is known for preferring the black and grey style due to its ability to more grittily and accurately depict the intended image.
Jack Rudy was an ex-President of the American Tattoo Association. He owned Tatooland, a street shop in Anaheim CA.
He was president of the Beatnik’s Car Club – a car club which requires the members to own 50s-styled hot rods and ‘lots of tattoos’.
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