Jason Priestley, icon from my preadolescent years, had his spine crushed in a racing accident in Kentucky.

He and Shannen Doherty played fraternal twins in the Aaron “Dad of Tori” Spelling. Like we would ever be convinced that they ever came from the same bloodline, or that Tori Spelling was nice and virginal forever. It was so outrageous that everyone in my high school class followed the show just for kicks, and in between boring lunches, we occasionaly trooped to the phone booth to leave prank messages on Jennie Garth’s answering machine.

Jason Priestley didn’t cross the threshold from television to the movies. I can’t think of anything he starred in, aside from “Tombstone.” He started racing in 1991, won his first tourney in 1998.