It is with great sadness that we pass along the news of the passing of hot rodder, journalist, and Hot Rod Hotline contributor LeRoi “Tex” Smith.

Tex was a lovely man, and a legend in the hot rodding world, known for his wit, wisdowm, craft, and humor.  He died on Thursday, June 11, 2015 in Australia, where he had been living for at least part of the year for the past few years.

He was born in Oklahoma, and served in the Air Force during the 1950s.  He was part of the staff of Hot Rod magazine, helping to shape the face of that iconic publication, went on to co-found Street Rodder magazine, and was part of the development of the first Street Rod Nationals and the NSRA.

Tex was generous enough to share his thoughts, reminiscence and stories with us on HotRodHotline.com and his collection of columns is a wonderful way to remember him. 

To read his columns, go here: https://www.hotrodhotline.com/content/le-roi-tex-smith

Our thoughts go out to his family and friends.

We know that many of you knew Tex (some of you even worked for or with him). We’d welcome your stories and thoughts at this time, if you’d like to share with fellow fans and friends.