Technoblade, Minecraft YouTuber with more than 12M subscribers, dies at 23, shares final goodbye message
Technoblade, a popular Minecraft YouTuber with more than 12.4 million subscribers, died after a year-long battle with cancer, his family said in a video posted on his YouTube channel Thursday. He was 23.
“Hello everyone, Technoblade here. If you’re watching this, I am dead,” the beloved social media influencer said in a farewell note that was read by his father.
“If I had another one hundred lives, I think I would choose to be Technoblade again every single time, because those were the happiest years of my life,” he added, also revealing his real name, Alex.
“I hope you guys enjoyed my content and that I made some of you laugh. And I hope you all go on to live long prosperous and happy lives. Because I love you guys. Technoblade out,” he said.
The video, titled “so long nerds,” was uploaded to his YouTube account on Thursday night it quickly went viral. By Saturday morning, it had been viewed nearly 41 million times.
According to his father, Technoblade wrote his farewell message from bed and died shortly after finishing it.
“I don’t think he said everything he wanted to say, but I think he got the main points,” adding that after he finished it, “he was done. He lived about another eight hours after that.”
Technoblade “was the most amazing kid anyone could ever ask for,” his father added while fighting tears.
In a statement signed by “Techno’s mom,” she said that Technoblade “avoided personal fame and worked hard to keep his true identity confidential, and I ask you to continue to honor his wishes to protect his privacy and the privacy of his family.”
Technoblade first revealed he had been diagnosed with cancer in a video uploaded to his channel in August 2021.
He was diagnosed with sarcoma, a type of cancer that grows in the body’s connective tissues. While it’s rare in adults, it makes up about 20% of all childhood cancers, according to the Sarcoma Foundation of America.
According to his mother, even during this difficult past year, as he battled stage 4 cancer, Technoblade “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 with him,” she said.
He also used his position to raise awareness about sarcoma, as well as money for cancer research.
“His generosity and selflessness were evident when he was able to rally his fans and followers to raise over $500,000 for SFA to date,” the foundation said in a statement, adding that Technoblade will be honored “with our Courage Award at our 20th Annual Stand Up to Sarcoma Gala on September 28, 2022, in New York City.”
Minecraft also honored his life in a tweet, saying that he “meant so much to our community and brought so much joy” and that “he will be missed dearly.”
