One of drag racing's more colorful personalities has passed away.

Tony Christian, 74, passed away this morning (June 9, 2022) following complications related to a heart attack. Christian suffered a second "widowmaker" heart attack. 

Daughter Heather Kircher said her father took the situation in stride and was joking with family and hospital personnel right up until the end. She said those who knew her father shouldn't be surprised by her father's happy to the end nature. 

"The machines that monitored him were going crazy, and they asked him, 'how are you feeling?" Kircher explained. "He just smiled and said, 'I feel great!"

"Then they asked him if he was having chest pains, and whether he was or not, said, 'No! What's wrong with you? Get off of me."

"He was a character to the end."

Kircher said the outpouring of support from the drag racing community has been a blessing to her family. 

"The racing community has shown nothing but admiration; it's a big family," Kircher said. "We've had all ages reach out, from young children to the sport's legends. Everyone is intertwined, from those he used to race with to their families. 

"I grew up in the racing world with my dad. It's just amazing how we are all connected."

Kircher said growing up with her dad, she was always aware of his status, but to her, he was just "Dad."

"He was just Dad," Kircher said. "It was just weird. We'd run into fans at the airport, who would marvel at him. I wanted to say, 'No, he's just Dad."

"My favorite line he'd say was, 'I'm just like Michael Jordan, except I race cars."

Christian is survived by daughters Heather Kircher and Tori Beckham, son Tony Christian III, and grandson Asher James. 

There will be no services as Christian preferred to be remembered in his happier times with a laugh and a drink. He will be cremated, but as an avid fisherman stated publicly, he didn't want his ashes spread over the water because he "didn't want the fishes eating me."

One of those not surprised with Christian's happiness until the end was Pat Musi, his perceived arch-rival.

"People thought we were against each other, but in reality, he was probably one of my best friends on this earth," Musi said. "We might have fought on the track, but away, he was one of my favorite people. We were always there for each other. I'm going to miss him more than anyone could imagine. This sport is going to miss him."

Christian had a decorated NHRA resume with two Pro Stock wins in 1988, which led to a third-place finish in the championship point standings. Before moving into the factory hot rod ranks, he was a decorated Modified and Competition Eliminator racer. After completing his NHRA days, he found a new home in the fastest street competition with NMCA and NSCA series and ended his career racing Pro Modified.