Jeff Webb, the entrepreneur who transformed sideline cheerleading into a multibillion-dollar global industry and served as a mentor to the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk, has died following a pickleball accident. He was 76.
Webb passed away Thursday in Memphis, Tennessee, surrounded by family after being removed from life support. He had been hospitalized for two weeks with a severe head injury sustained when he fell while playing pickleball.
A former University of Oklahoma yell leader, Webb founded the Universal Cheerleading Association in 1974, which later became Varsity Spirit. Over five decades, he built an empire that controlled nearly every aspect of competitive cheer, from the camps where teams learned routines to the competitions where they performed, and even the uniforms and pompoms they used.
His push to incorporate advanced gymnastics and stunts, alongside televised broadcasts on ESPN, brought cheerleading to national audiences. As president of the International Cheer Union, Webb achieved a lifelong goal in 2021 when the International Olympic Committee granted cheerleading full recognition.
Beyond sports, Webb was a committed conservative activist whose friendship with Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk ran deep. The two met when Kirk was just 24, and Webb became a trusted mentor .
Following Kirk’s assassination in September 2025, Webb delivered a poignant tribute, saying, “We may have lost a future president. Charlie Kirk had it all, charisma, faith, respect for everyone”. Webb was present at the White House when Kirk received the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously.
Webb also owned conservative media outlets Human Events and The Post Millennial, selling them in 2025.
The pickleball accident that claimed Webb’s life sent shockwaves through both the cheerleading community and conservative circles. Varsity Spirit called him a “visionary” whose impact “will continue to inspire generations to come” . Turning Point USA released a nine-minute tribute, describing Webb as “a dear friend” who “helped shape generations of young leaders”.
Webb is survived by his wife, Gina; son, Jeffrey; daughter, Caroline; and two grandchildren. His family remembered him not only as a legendary entrepreneur but as their “soccer coach and on-demand comedian, our mentor and father-daughter dance partner”.
