Jeret “Speedy” Peterson Dead At 29 [VIDEO]

One year from today in England the 2012 Summer Olympic Summer Games are set to kick off, while here in the US we mourn the tragic news of the death of one of our American Olympic hero's.This morning Jeret "Speedy" Peterson was found dead in a remote canyon in Utah in what police are saying looks like a possible suicide. Given the nickname "Speedy" by teammates because his helmet reminded them of the one worn by the "Speed Racer" character in the cartoon of the same name.

Just this past Friday night Peterson was Peterson,  had been cited for drunk driving in Hailey, Idaho. Today police have said they received a call from a person identifying himself as Peterson and instructing them where they could find his body. When police arrived they found  a suicide note  near his car and his body in the canyon nearby with a single gunshot wound, another young life tragically ended all too soon. 

Peterson was perhaps best known for his signature move "The Hurricane, (a 5 twists with a 3  flips) Peterson took the silver medal in the Vancouver Games after nailing move.

Throughout his career Speedy battled alcohol addiction and problems with depression in a very public way telling the press after the suicide of a buddy that he himself had at one point he had considered suicide.

 At 24 Peterson was climbing the ladder towards Olympic Gold at the 2006  Turin Games only to be sent home early after a drunken scuffle in the street with a friend. He ended up placing 7th in those games but continued to train and look toward bringing home the gold for the US from Vancouver.

After the Turin incident Peterson began to open up about his personal struggles and demons including information about being sexually molested and and the death of his sister who was just 5 years old.

Speedy was an inspiration to all that met him, adored by fans and teammates alike for his