Laguna Beach Artist Thomas Matthew Chambers, 33

Thomas Matthew Chambers, a longtime Laguna Beach resident and well-known local artist and ceramist, died suddenly at South Coast Medical Center here Sunday. He was 33.

Chambers, who had reportedly been in good health, was feeling ill Sunday morning and was taken to the emergency ward, where he later died, said his brother, Chris Chambers of Leucadia.

An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death, his brother said.

At the time of his death, Chambers was the art director for Quiksilver Inc. of Costa Mesa, a clothing manufacturer.

“He was highly respected and a very special person to all of us,” said Shaheen Sadeghi, president of Quiksilver Inc. “He was an important member of our team. He will be greatly missed by all of us here.”

Chambers was a native of Bakersfield and a 1974 graduate of Laguna Beach High School. As a senior at the high school, Chambers won local fame for his ceramics artistry and began teaching ceramics at UC Irvine before he graduated from high school.

Chambers is survived by Sunseray Raj, his companion for 10 years; his mother, Kathryn Chambers of Dana Point, and one other brother, Andrew of Mariposa, Calif.