john bain total biscuit

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YouTuber John ‘TotalBiscuit’ Bain dead at 33

He recently wrote on Reddit that he didn't have much longer.

 

Tess Cagle

Internet Culture

Posted on May 25, 2018   Updated on May 21, 2021, 2:59 pm CDT

Popular video critic and YouTube personality John Bain, known by millions as TotalBiscuit and the Cynical Brit, died at age 33 on Thursday.

A tweet on his account confirmed the news Thursday afternoon and his wife, Genna, shared a poem in his honor. She also shared that Bain died while doing what he loved most—reviewing video games.

“Do you know what’s strange but kind of lovely? During the hepatic coma he was slipping into several hours before passing, TB was still reviewing and talking about @FortniteGame in his sleep,” she tweeted.

Bain retired from reviewing games in April after bowel cancer spread to his liver. He battled cancer on and off since 2014 but had been in remission until 2018. In his final health update on Reddit, he explained he’d accepted he didn’t have much longer to live and while he planned to remain active on YouTube and Twitch, he was also going to be dedicating more time to his family.

“Obviously we’re going to keep looking for other trials but I’m currently coming to terms with the fact that I don’t have long left and right now at any rate, there is literally nothing I can do about it other than try to manage the pain as best as possible and stay as hydrated as possible to ease the pressure on the liver,” he said.

Since the news of his death, many members of the gaming community have expressed their grief and sent their condolences to his wife.

Bain left a controversial legacy in the gaming community.

He first rose to prominence in 2010 and eventually accumulated 2.2 million followers on YouTube. He was a major critic of many mainstream video games and a champion for smaller, lesser-known games. He was popularly known for his curated lists of game recommendations on the Steam store.

He was also criticized as an advocate for #GamerGate, a movement that began as a call for more ethical gaming journalism but resulted in targeted harassment of women.

Fans on Reddit, however, argue Bain should instead be celebrated as a passionate advocate for gaming consumers who supported indie developers through his videos and The Co-Optional Podcast.

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*First Published: May 25, 2018, 8:57 am CDT