After hearing the news of Christopher “Big Black” Boykin’s unexpected death on Tuesday, May 9, Rob Dyrdek paid tribute to his former MTV co-star on social media — despite their falling out nine years prior.

The duo starred on the hit MTV show Rob & Big for three seasons starting in 2006. Find out what the pro skateboarder had to say about his late friend in the video below:

The pair’s personal and professional relationship hit a rough patch after the series catapulted them into reality TV stardom. “It was a strange period, because both me and him… I had been a pro skateboarder for years, so transitioning into mainstream fame was relatively smooth where for him it was the idea that he was working security two years earlier and now he’s on television,” Rob previously said in an interview.

“It was a much different dynamic, but I think we both struggled with… I didn’t want to be known as Rob from Rob & Big, and I think he didn’t want to be known as the sidekick. So that created a lot of that tension between me and him,” the 42-year-old added.

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Thankfully, it appears the pair reconciled before Big’s death at the age of 45. Our thoughts are with his family during this difficult time.