Coddington, a longtime diabetic, died Wednesday at Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital in Whittier of complications of a recent surgery, said publicist Brad Fanshaw.
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LA HABRA, California — Boyd Coddington, the star of the TV show American Hot Rod and a central figure in hot-rod culture, died this morning at age 63. He had been hospitalized in early January after a fall at home and had been recovering. The cause of his death was not immediately announced.

"His mental and physical burners have been on full-bore from Day One," enthuses the Discovery Channel Web site for his TV show. Coddington grew up in rural Idaho and opened his first shop in California during the turbulent late 1960s. He is credited for creating a "new aesthetic" in customization and recognized for his genius in machining billet aluminum.

Boyd's special projects are too many to list, but he is especially noted for the 1980s Cadzzilla, a joint project with Larry Erickson for ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons. His name became so popular that Dupont paint even came out with a Boyd Red paint color. Chip Foose and Jesse James went on to their own stardom after working in his shop. Among many honors and awards, Boyd is a seven-time winner of the America's Most Beautiful Roadster prize and a two-time winner of the DaimlerChrysler Design Excellence Award. He is in the halls of fame of SEMA, the National Rod & Custom Museum, the Grand National Roadster Show and the Street Rod Marketing Alliance — not to mention the Route 66 Wall of Fame.

In addition to his hugely popular shop and wheel-fabricating business, he and his wife, Jo, ran the Boyd Coddington Foundation.
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Car-Building Legend Boyd Coddington Dies

By JEFF WILSON – 1 day ago

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Car-building legend Boyd Coddington, whose testosterone-injected cable TV reality show "American Hot Rod" introduced the nation to the West Coast hot rod guru, has died. He was 63.

Coddington died at Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital in suburban Whittier at 6:20 a.m. Wednesday. His La Habra office spokeswoman Amanda Curry wouldn't disclose the cause of death.

Coddington, who started building cars when he was 13 and once operated a gas station in Utah, set a standard for his workmanship and creativity, with his popular "Cadzilla" creation considered a design masterpiece. The customized car based on a 1950s Cadillac was built for rocker Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top.

"That was a groundbreaking car. Very cool," said Dick Messer, executive director of the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.

"This was your modern era George Barris," Messer said. "He did things to hot rods and customs that weren't being done by anyone else. But the main thing is he designed cars that were drivable."

Coddington was a machinist by trade, working at Disneyland during the day and tinkering with cars in his home garage at night and on weekends. His rolling creations captured the imagination of car-crazy Southern Californians and soon he was building custom cars and making money.

Most often, he customized 1932 Ford "little deuce coupes."

"It was one of those things when a hobby turned into business," Messer said, noting Coddington was also "one of the first guys to get into the custom wheel business."

Wheels by Boyd were fetching $2,000 apiece, which was unheard of two decades ago.

Coddington also surrounded himself with talent. Alumni from his shop include Jesse James and Chip Foose, who went on to open their own shops and star in reality TV shows.

Coddington twice won the Daimler-Chrysler Design Excellence Award and he was inducted into the Grand National Roadster Show Hall of Fame, the National Rod & Custom Museum Hall of Fame and the Route 66 Wall of Fame.

Always dressed in a Hawaiian shirt, Coddington said he loved his "American Hot Rod" Discovery Channel show, which featured ground-up construction of $500,000 hot rods.

"The viewers are ... people who lived in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s and loved these cars. Now, they have money," Coddington told The Associated Press in a 2004 interview.
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I read that in the paper this morning. I like the guy. Never really knew much about him from his younger days, just from his show. He could direct guys to building some darn nice cars. His passing at such a young age is sad.

I always figured him to be a little older. He was a great talent. Based on the article, his injury didn't appear to be life threatening.

Never really got hooked on his shows, but watched enough to appreciate his ability with metal, organization, and vision. Googled his name and found out he was a fellow native Idahoan. We are the same age, so RIP Boyd!!