Thousands honor ‘Mask’

The expression usually goes, “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

But for Charles “Mask” Lewis Jr. it was, “I’ll believe it — then I’ll see it.”

That’s what his loved ones remembered Tuesday as they said their final farewells.

Through 45 years, most notably his last 15 when he found his calling in mixed martial arts and devoted 100% of himself to the sport and its culture, Lewis lived and spread his motto: “Simply Believe.”

An image of Lewis donning his iconic face paint and with his hands clasped as in prayer, hung above him and an audience of thousands at his funeral at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove Tuesday. Lewis — who was known to most professionally as “Mask,” the co-founder of MMA’s ubiquitous clothing brand, TapouT — was killed in a Newport Beach crash March 11. The driver of the other car involved, Jeffrey Kirby, 51, from Costa Mesa, has been charged with vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.

Tuesday’s memorial was a list of who’s who in mixed martial arts and the Ultimate Fighting Championship. While their appearances are notable, Lewis’ friends said the true testament to his character was best illustrated by the thousands of others who aren’t celebrities who chose to attend his memorial service. They are fans of the sport, TapouT and the reality show he hosted.

Lewis’ face paint, large size and boisterous personality always made him the center of attention.

If it wasn’t his laugh, it was his seemingly random, hilarious nicknames for people he met, and unabashed confidence and determination that made all who met him never forget him.

Several spoke Tuesday about Lewis’ dreams and how he aimed to make a definitive mark on MMA culture and people’s lives. He accomplished it all in a matter of years, lifting the TapouT brand to a multimillion-dollar company.

“Crazy makes hope more impactful and unexpected,” Lewis wrote to his friend, Andrea Richter, as she read Tuesday from an e-mail Lewis sent her.

She said all he wanted was to be more than just unrealized potential.

“He pretty much defies description,” said Gavin O’Connor, who met Lewis about a year ago. “Knowing Charles, he’s on a first-name basis with God and everybody else up there.”