Authorities said the motorcycle they were on collided with a big rig just past the interchange where the northbound 5 merges with the northbound 170 Freeway. Authorities said after the collision, both victims were run over by the big rig's trailer.
Paramedics declared Romarino Zeri, 51, of Marina Del Rey and Julie Cameron, 38, of Torrance, dead at the scene.
The cause of the crash was under investigation.
The wreck occurred as dozens of motorcyclists crowded the freeway on the 28th annual "Love Ride," a mobile charity fundraiser.
Authorities said it appears the victims were riding ahead of the Love Ride motorcyclists.
Three of the four northbound lanes were closed for nearly three hours.
A friend of Zeri's said he was a father of five who had taken the Love Ride several times.
"Family was everything to him," said Zeri's friend, Matteo Pasquini. "He always enjoyed street bikes and he would take a casual ride. It wasn't a lot. He enjoyed getting out there once a week, twice a week, a simple ride. He was a very, extreme, conscious person."
"During the 28 years of doing the Love Ride, we have never had a single fatality, so this is sad beyond words," said Oliver Shokouch, founder of the Love Ride Foundation.
The Associated Press and City News Service contributed to this report.
