Olympic Medalist in Figure Skating Robertson Dies at 62

Ronnie Robertson, an Olympic, world and U.S. figure skating silver medalist in 1956, died Friday at Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center in Fountain Valley after a long illness.

Robertson, 62, had coached at the Irvine Ice Arena for the past two years. Before that, he coached for several years in Paramount.

Considered the fastest spinner in the history of figure skating, Robertson, who skated professionally for almost 22 years and earned more than $1.5 million in his career, was called “The King of Spin” and “The Blur.”

A member of both the U.S. and world figure skating halls of fame, Robertson could spin at a record 240 revolutions per minute, which translated to 100 mph, and was invited to do just that several times on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”

Robertson was the first skater to complete both the triple loop and triple salchow in competition.

He retired from professional skating after a final show in 1978 at Knott’s Berry Farm and had lived in Tucson, Ariz., before returning to Paramount to coach in 1991.

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Plans for a memorial service at the Irvine Ice Arena are pending. For more information, call (949) 262-0907.