 Tragedy struck in 1998 when his brother Sean died in a car accident along with fellow surfer Joel Green.Fanning received a wild card entry at the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach in 2001, winning one of Australia's leading contests.He finished 2002 as Rookie of the Year, winning the Billabong Pro at Jeffrey's Bay and earning himself a place on the 2002 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Tour as World Qualifying Series (WQS) Champion.