Sons of Anarchy went down in history as possibly the best motorcycle gang drama ever to have been made. Part of that is due to its creators’ commitment to staying true to real life. They actually hired certain people because of insider knowledge, and one of those people was David Labrava. Did you know that Happy from SOA was an actual member of Hells Angels Motorcycle club?
Videos By Rare
David Labrava’s Career
David Labrava was born on October 19, 1962, in Miami, Florida. He used to work as a tattoo artist and a bouncer in Amsterdam before moving back to the United States. He has a tattoo shop in Oakland, California, incidentally across the street from the Hells Angels Oakland chapter clubhouse. That shop is called Evil Ink.
Labrava was a writer before getting into Hollywood. He wrote for The Horse motorcycle magazine. He’s a contributor to Ol’ Skool Rodz magazine and his column is called “Burnin’ Rubber with Jimmy Carbone.”
Labrava used to work as a cameraman for the Zalman King Company. While behind the scenes, Zalman taught Labrava how to write scripts. A Jack of All Trades, Labrava is also a motorcycle mechanic. And it was all of these loves and hobbies that eventually got him into the Hollywood spotlight. But we’ll get to that shortly.
Labrava’s Membership in the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club
Labrava bought his first motorcycle (a Harley-Davidson) at age 17. He has five Harley-Davidson diplomas from the Motorcycle Mechanics Institute (MMI) and builds motorcycles.
According to One Percenter Bikers, Labrava joined the Hells Angels MC Oakland chapter. The Oakland chapter was founded by Sonny Barger.
In August of 2008, Labrava was arrested while on a Hells Angels Annual USA Run in Missoula County, Montana. According to reports, police were approached by a man who told them that a female friend of his was being held against her will in a room at the Inn on Broadway. Police correspondingly went to the room and removed the woman. They also took Labrava into custody.
After obtaining a search warrant, detectives discovered cocaine, hashish, and “a death head style’ narcotics pipe.” Labrava was accordingly charged with drug possession and held on a $2,500 bail.
In an Instagram post from 2019, Labrava clarified that he is no longer a part of the Hells Angels.
“Full of Respect, I want to say, I am no longer a member of the largest motorcycle club in the world, The HELLS ANGELS M.C.,” he wrote. “The only club I am a member of now, is the Human Race. I have chosen to leave the club in good standing, honorably, of my own free will, I am no longer a patch holder. I am no longer in the patch holding set, I am now what is considered to be a civilian.”
Happy Lowman From Sons of Anarchy
Before being cast as Happy Lowman, Labrava was actually hired onto Sons of Anarchy for an entirely different reason. He was supposed to be a consultant and Technical Advisor because of his insider knowledge of the world of motorcycle gangs. But Labrava wanted a chance to be on the show, so he simply asked the show’s creator, Kurt Sutter.
In a behind-the-scenes cut on Kurt Sutter’s YouTube channel, Labrava explains exactly how he made the leap to stardom.
“When Kurt came up to get some technical advice, we spent some time together. And then I asked him, ‘Whenever you cast the show, I’d like a chance to be on it.’ He gave me a shot to be on it and here I am.
Labrava ended up acting in the show while still serving as a Technical advisor.
Labrava’s Happy Lowman is SAMCRO’s Sergeant-at-Arms and also a deadly assassin. As his name may or may not suggest, he tattoos a happy face on his abdomen every time he makes a kill. He also has a soft spot though and does cry when Jax makes his farewell.
And by the way, Happy rides a Harley-Davidson Dyna Street Bob.
What Is Labrava up to Now?
Since Sons of Anarchy ended in 2014, David Labrava has continued his acting career. He’s since appeared in several films and played Happy Lowman again for Mayans M.C. from 2018-2021. He was also recently cast as Tellis in Irish Whisper ‘The’ Story of Jimmy Hayes, which is currently in development.
Labrava is evidently a glass blower and sells pipes via his online shop. He also wrote a biography, Becoming a Son: My Journey From the Street to the Screen. You can purchase a signed copy for only $50 on his website!
“This is a signed copy of the book I wrote,” he says in the book’s modest description. “It costs less on Amazon, but then it’s not signed. You can have it signed to whoever you want.” Sold!
Labrava Is a Dog Dad and Dad to His Late Son, Tycho
David Labrava mostly hangs out with his dogs these days and is always posting photos of them. But we also need to give you some tragic details now as well. He used to have a son, Tycho Spelis Chiusano. Tycho took his life at the tender age of 16 back in May of 2018. He was born on March 16, 2002, and would be 20 years old today.
“Never in a million tears would I think I would be posting this,” wrote Labrava on Instagram. “This is MY BOY Tycho. He took his life a couple of days ago at 16 years old. He suffered from a depression we couldn’t see because he was a happy young kid. Communicate with your loved ones, there might not be any signs. Cherish them. I am broken.”
A GoFundMe was set up in honor of Tycho. 100% of donations go to a depression and bipolar organization.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).