Paddle Out Held In Honor Of Base Jumper Johnny Strange, 23, Who Died In Switzerland

MALIBU  (CBSLA.com) —  A paddle out was held at Zuma Beach Sunday in honor of the young man who loved adventure.

Johnny Strange, 23, died Thursday in the Swiss Alps while performing a wing-suit jump. Strange first rose to prominence at 17 when he became one of the youngest people ever to climb all the world's major summits.

CBS2's Greg Mills spoke to his friends and family at the ocean side tribute.

Friends tried to comfort his mom, Dianette Wells, who was inconsolable.

"That's all I care about," she said, "that he's going to come home."

Friend Coral Silverberg said Strange liked to live large.

"He lived 23 lives in 23 years," she said, "he lived more than all of us will in our entire lives."

Friend Trevor Jacobs admired Strange's can-do attitude.

"He was the most fearless dude that I knew and he just didn't care and that's how he wanted to live his life."

The paddle out was attended by 100 people,  including Strange's friends, his two sisters and his parents. Lifeguards on the beach told Mills Strange was a frequent visitor to the beach so his family and friends thought the location was perfect.

Today's event was pretty much impromptu. Mills says in two weeks, family and friends will reconvene at the same spot to spread Strange's ashes in an even larger ceremony.