TotalBiscuit Cause of Death: Gaming YouTuber John Bain Passes Away Aged 33

Gaming personality and YouTuber John Bain, known under the online aliases "TotalBiscuit" and "Cynical Brit," has passed away aged 33 following a lengthy battle with cancer. Tributes poured in following news of his death, which was confirmed via Twitter on Thursday by Bain's wife Genna.

"Rest in peace my dearest love, July 8, 1984 - May 24, 2018," she wrote. "Please forgive my lack of response to every message at this time. I'm more overwhelmed with grief than I could possibly express. Friends/family, please know that I will notify you all of any memorial service planned."

In early May, Bain said in a statement posted to Reddit that he didn't "have long left" and that while he would continue to stream some content online his main focus was on pain management. Since 2010, the YouTuber had been well-known in the gaming community for his streaming coverage and industry critique. In 2014, he announced to fans that he had been diagnosed with "full blown cancer."

John Bain
John Bain on his retirement from gaming criticism: "138 days plugged into a pump. Let nobody ever say I wasn't stubborn." YouTube/Screenshot/Gemma Bain

In October 2015, he said the cancer in his bowel was gone but that spots had appeared on his liver. He wrote: "They're not operable and there's no cure. Average life expectancy is 2-3 years."

Twitch, the streaming service where Bain had amassed more than 500,000 followers, issued a statement following his death. "John Bain's opinionated game critiques and sense of humor led to him becoming one of the most prominent voices in the gaming industry. The emote bearing his face represents the indelible mark that he has left on Twitch. Thank you for everything, TotalBiscuit."

On YouTube, Bain's TotalBiscuit channel has 2.2 million subscribers. The news of his death spurred a slew of heartfelt messages from across the gaming spectrum by fans, friends and peers.

Documentary maker Danny O'Dwyer tweeted: "I'm so sorry it ended this way. I'll miss our private debates on Skype messenger. I'll always be sad we never got around to doing that collaboration. Thanks for all the support, even though we often didn't see eye to eye. Rest in Peace mate."

YouTuber Steven Jay Williams, who is known as "Boogie2988" online, published several tweets directly referencing Bain on Friday. He wrote: "Sorry for missing stream. Was gonna try to do it after the movie but after hearing about John's death I am gonna take some time to mourn. I am devastated."

Gaming studio Paradox Interactive wrote: "We're incredibly saddened to hear about the passing of TotalBiscuit. You have a lot of fans and people who will remember you within our halls. We send our love and thoughts to @GennaBain in this trying time and we truly hope you may finally rest easy John."

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Jason Murdock is a staff reporter for Newsweek. 

Based in London, Murdock previously covered cybersecurity for the International Business Times UK ... Read more

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