Technoblade, a famous Minecraft Youtuber, has died. His short 23 years of life were incredibly impactful on the lives of millions. His battle with sarcoma, a type of cancer, was only made public ten months ago when he released a video discussing why he hadn’t been regularly making videos or streaming. Out of respect to his wishes of privacy, I will only refer to him by his screen name, alongside its shortened version: Techno.
Techno began his rise to fame by playing Hypixel’s Skyblock, a competitive Minecraft minigame in which both resource management and combat skill is needed. He was exceptionally good at it. Out of this emerged his iconic catchphrase, “Technoblade never dies.” His skill led to an invitation to Minecraft Mondays, a weekly competition hosted by Keemstar in which internet celebrities would compete. Techno kept winning and exposure to these larger channels audiences added to his rising reputation. He played a speedrun of regular Minecraft with a steering wheel as his controller and beat the game in under 20 minutes. He joined SMP Earth, fought Dream in a giant battle hosted by Mr. Beast, got a 1,000 win streak in Bedwars, and joined the Dream SMP. These remarkable achievements made him a living legend.
The Dream SMP akept me sane in quarantine and Techno’s acting made him my favorite member. The news of his death shook me to my core. My friends, fellow fans of his, messaged me minutes after the video was uploaded. We all had watched it within a matter of seconds of one another. Freaking out, grieving, we tried to comfort one another. A man we adored, a staple of our community, was gone. I looked towards my closet, and the cosplay items I had gotten for Gem City Comic Con in a few weeks for my cosplay of his character. I found myself wondering if it’s appropriate to do so soon. At a loss, and sobbing, I began to write this article, while listening to his videos as a form of comfort. I never got the chance to meet him, or thank him.
May he rest in peace, and may he continue to serve as an inspiration to millions. I hope his family is given privacy and respect to mourn in peace. He died but will forever live as a hero to his fans.
If you’re able to donate to sarcoma research please do so: https://www.curesarcoma.org/donate/ .
LeAnne McPherson
Reporter