Jonas Neubauer, seven-time Classic Tetris World Champion and an "absolute pillar of positivity" in the game, has sadly passed away at the age of 39.
"It's with a heavy heart that we deliver the terrible news that Jonas has passed away from a sudden medical emergency," read the statement supplied by his Twitter account. "He was the absolute best. We are devastated, overwhelmed with grief, and we already miss him dearly." His wife, Heather, explained that the two of them were relaxing together earlier this week when he suddenly lost consciousness and did not recover. "We don't yet have a clear picture of what exactly happened, so I would really appreciate your patience during this impossible time," said Heather in his Discord server. "Streaming on Twitch over the years brought us both so much joy and led to amazing new friendships and countless adventures. Thank you so much for your words, your jokes, your time."
The announcement has shaken the Tetris community. Players have shared their sentiments online, signing an online card for Neubauer's family, and the official Tetris account describes his death as "a tremendous loss in so many ways." Speaking to Shacknews, the Classic Tetris World Championship team expressed their sadness, and said that the player was "an absolute pillar of positivity and humility... he was kind, genuine, hilarious, incredibly talented, and a brilliant ambassador for the game."
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Neubauer was a formidable competitor as well as a valued friend, winning the title of Classic Tetris World Champion in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017. His skill was spotted by the organisers following a video of himself achieving the "max out" score of 999,999 in Tetris. The rest, as they say, is history, though the real reason that Neubauer accepted the challenge was to pull through the passing of his father.
"It was this new adventure that I could embark on and try to make a positive trajectory out of a bummer situation," he explained in an interview with Vice. "Maybe I needed that first [win]. The ones that came afterwards were icing on the cake. You can't control what happens to the people in your life, but you can control what comes after." Our thoughts are with those closest to him, and there's a fundraiser for Neubauer's family which will support them following his passing.
Featured Image Credit: CTWCTopics: News, Retro Games
