DOTA 2 Community Mourns The Passing Of Beloved Player

FiercE was the sort of person the DOTA community needs more of: someone who wanted to help others learn how to have fun with the game.

Once upon a time FiercE was a bigtime DOTA 1 pro, but more recently he became known for both his educational DOTA 2 videos — which many players cite as essential resources for players first starting out — and highlight videos that got millions of views. Despite this, he was a curiously under-the-radar figure, someone whose work countless DOTA 2 fans have consumed, only to go, “Oh, he’s the guy who made that?” upon hearing his name.

News of his passing broke late yesterday, via a post from longtime friend and NADoTA admin Aaron “Spit-wad” Stern:

“This is difficult so I’m just going to keep it short. Fierce’s sister called me this morning and said he has passed away. Cause of death is unknown right now. They are having a memorial service on Wednesday in the NJ area — contact me if you would like the details.”

“I’ve known Fierce for about ten years. He was always a great teammate and a great friend. A very funny, smart, and naturally talented guy. He attended a couple LANs in NY back in the day so maybe some of you have met him.”

Many DOTA 2 players — casual fans, commentators, and pros alike — rallied in the wake of FiercE’s untimely passing:

RIP Fierce

— Artour (@Arteezy) May 18, 2015

Professor Fierce passed away. I can’t believe it. His videos got me into Dota 2 to begin with. Rest in peace man.https://t.co/E21ZXDb3Si

— Maut (@MautDota) May 18, 2015

RIP To nadota member and Dota 1 pro Fierce aka professor fierce aka G.skill , sad day :/

— Grant Harris (@GranDGranT) May 18, 2015

Others are trying to make sure his videos are preserved for use by future generations.

Here are a couple of his most well-known videos, if you haven’t seen them:

It’s a crying shame that he’s gone, that’s for damn sure. Let us hope that future players, pros, and creators learn from both his videos and the example he set as a person.