Technoblade, Popular Minecraft Creator, Dies From Cancer at 23

Technoblade, a top YouTube creator who specialized in Minecraft let’s-play videos, has died a year after he revealed a cancer diagnosis, according to a statement from his family. He was 23.

In an emotional YouTube video shared on Technoblade’s channel Thursday, the YouTuber’s father announced that his son had died. “He was the most amazing kid anyone could ever ask for,” his father said. “I miss Technoblade.”

The video uploaded Thursday, titled “so long nerds,” included a posthumous message from the creator to his fans, which was read by his father. “Hello everyone, Technoblade here. If you’re watching this, I am dead,” Technoblade’s message said, revealing that his real name is Alex. “Thank you all for supporting my content over the years. If I had another hundred lives, I think I would choose to be Technoblade again every single time as those were the happiest years of my life.”

On Technoblade’s online store, a message says, “In honor of his memory, a portion of the proceeds from all online orders will be donated to a wonderful organization called curesarcoma.org,” linking to the Sarcoma Foundation of America.

Technoblade, whose online avatar was a crowned king pig, currently has 10.8 million subscribers on his YouTube channel. “I play video games too much. I might not be the best, but I do have hot elbows,” his YouTube bio reads.

A statement at the end of the video shared Thursday read, “We, the family of Technoblade, wanted you all to know just how much he adored and respected his fans and colleagues. From Technoblade’s earliest online days, he was always strategizing ways to delight and reward his audience. Even after his eventual successes he somehow managed to keep his good-natured humility, competing with an endearing balance between his confidence and self-deprecating wit. He avoided personal fame and worked hard to keep his true identity confidential, and we ask you to honor his wishes to protect his privacy and the privacy of his family.”

The statement continued, “This past year has had a lot of rough spots for our son as he battled stage four cancer. But he didn’t complain, and kept using his famous strategic mind to try to beat what he knew were almost impossible odds. My son’s bravery on this path was a shining lesson to all of us who were privileged to walk it with him. Thank you for sharing his journey through it all, as he did the work he loved for his beloved fans.”

According to his father, Technoblade composed his final message to fans about eight hours before he died. “I don’t think he said everything he wanted to say, but I think he got the main points,” his father said.

Technoblade disclosed his cancer diagnosis in August 2021. He said he started feeling pain in his right arm the previous month, initially thinking it was a repetitive stress injury from gaming. But after a few days, he realized his shoulder was swelling and thought he had a broken bone. After he went to the hospital, he was diagnosed with cancer.

Tributes to the late creator poured in on social media following the news of his death:

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