Technoblade
Alexander (June 1, 1999 – June 2022[lower-alpha 1]), known online as Technoblade, was an American YouTuber known for his Minecraft videos, livestreams, and involvement in the Dream SMP. Technoblade registered his main channel on YouTube in 2013. His videos consisted primarily of Minecraft gameplay, particularly on the minigame server Hypixel. After rising to popularity in 2019 for his performances in player versus player (PvP) events, Technoblade was invited to the Dream SMP Minecraft server in 2020, further increasing his following.
Technoblade | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Born | Alexander June 1, 1999 | ||||||||||||
Died | June 2022 23)[lower-alpha 1] | (aged||||||||||||
Cause of death | Metastatic sarcoma[lower-alpha 2] | ||||||||||||
Occupation | YouTuber | ||||||||||||
Years active | 2013–2022 | ||||||||||||
Known for | Dream SMP | ||||||||||||
YouTube information | |||||||||||||
Also known as | Technothepig | ||||||||||||
Channel | |||||||||||||
Genre | Gaming | ||||||||||||
Subscribers | 16.6 million[lower-alpha 3][16] | ||||||||||||
Total views | 1.69 billion[lower-alpha 3][16] | ||||||||||||
Associated acts | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
Last updated: October 19, 2023 | |||||||||||||
Website | technoblade |
In August 2021, Technoblade announced his diagnosis with cancer. Following unsuccessful treatment attempts, Technoblade died from metastatic sarcoma in June 2022,[lower-alpha 2] which prompted widespread reactions across both the Minecraft and YouTube communities. At the time of his death, his main YouTube channel had reached nearly 11 million subscribers.[2]
Internet career
Technoblade first registered and began uploading on his main YouTube channel on October 28, 2013.[20] Its content focused mainly on the video game Minecraft,[14][21] particularly gameplay on the minigame server Hypixel.[22] In a video from 2017, Technoblade beat Minecraft on hardcore mode using a racing wheel controller.[23] In another series of videos, beginning with "The Great Potato War", he tried to produce the highest amount of potatoes in the Hypixel gamemode Skyblock competing against rival im_a_squid_kid.[24]
Technoblade rose in popularity in 2019, following multiple wins in Keemstar's "Minecraft Monday" tournaments in which he defeated multiple prominent content creators in combat.[11][25] Technoblade also regularly participated in the MC Championship (MCC) tournaments with other YouTubers and won two of them. According to Cale Michael of Dot Esports, he was widely regarded as among the best Minecraft content creators, especially in player versus player (PVP) events.[21]
Technoblade became a member of the Dream SMP in 2020, a Minecraft server hosted by the YouTuber Dream, which features numerous popular Minecraft YouTubers. He began frequently creating content and livestreams on the server.[26][27] Technoblade had a friendly rivalry with Dream, and they were both generally regarded as among the best Minecraft players.[22] As part of this rivalry, MrBeast hosted a series of player versus player duels with a $100,000 prize, which Technoblade won.[28]
In September 2021, Technoblade raised over $300,000 for the Sarcoma Foundation of America through a charity livestream, passing the $250,000 goal within two hours.[29]
Around the time of his death in June 2022, Technoblade's channel had reached 10.8 million subscribers.[3] In August 2022, it posthumously reached fifteen million subscribers.[30]
Personal life
Born on June 1, 1999,[31] Technoblade resided in San Francisco, California.[32] He was known to have had ADHD.[33] In a 2018 video, he revealed he would begin attending college as an English major.[34] However, in a later 2019 video, he announced that he dropped out of college to play Minecraft full-time.[24][35]
Throughout his career, Technoblade avoided personal inquiries and interviews to maintain his and his family's privacy, although he occasionally discussed his personal life in his videos. His family continued to decline interviews after his death. By his own admission, Technoblade deceived his viewers in 2016 into believing his name was "Dave".[24] This was generally accepted as his real name until the announcement of his death, in which he revealed his name was Alexander.[36][7][12]
Cancer diagnosis and death
External videos | |
---|---|
where i've been An announcement of Technoblade's cancer prognosis, released on August 27, 2021. | |
I Almost Became An Amputee An update to Technoblade's cancer situation, released on December 23, 2021. | |
so long nerds The announcement of Technoblade's death, released on June 30, 2022. |
In a video released on August 27, 2021, Technoblade disclosed that he had been diagnosed with cancer after noticing pain in his right arm and swelling on his shoulder.[6][25] In response, Dream donated US$21,409 to cancer research.[37] Chemotherapy and radiation therapy proved unsuccessful.[10] His oncologist stated that his arm would potentially need to be amputated. In December 2021, he underwent a successful limb salvage operation.[6] Technoblade advised his viewers to wear face masks and become vaccinated against COVID-19, as it was relevant to his immunodeficiency at the time.[38]
On June 30, 2022, at 9:29 PM EDT, a video titled "so long nerds" was uploaded to Technoblade's YouTube channel, in which his father announced that Technoblade had died from the cancer.[6][10] Technoblade's father read a message written by Technoblade eight hours before he died[24] and said that future proceeds from merchandising and videos would go to the Sarcoma Foundation of America[39][40] and his siblings' college educations.[25] The video ended with a written message from Technoblade's mother.[13][41] Technoblade had planned to script and present the video himself but his declining health prevented him from doing so.[39] It was also planned that the video would include the song "Exitlude" by the Killers, but didn't due to potential copyright concerns.[42]
Although Technoblade never specified the type of his cancer, he had previously raised $500,000 for the Sarcoma Foundation of America throughout his YouTube career.[2] Several publications reported that Technoblade had died of metastatic sarcoma,[lower-alpha 2] and the Foundation acknowledged in a press release that Technoblade had been diagnosed with sarcoma.[9]
On September 20, 2022, it was revealed by the Sarcoma Foundation of America that Technoblade was diagnosed with a stage 4 unspecific type of sarcoma ("chest scans revealed metastasis to both lungs") when the painful lump on his shoulder was examined.[43]
Reactions and tributes
The announcement of his death became the top trending video on YouTube later that day,[27] and became a trending topic on Twitter.[44] It remained on the trending tab for several days and surpassed 30 million views in the first 24 hours.[27] By the end of August 2022, it had been viewed over 80 million times and liked over 8 million times, making it the most viewed and liked video on Technoblade's channel.[45] The video was recognized as the most watched video on YouTube in 2022, with 87 million views.[46][47] Technoblade posthumously reached fifteen million subscribers in August 2022.[30]
YouTubers such as Dream and other members of the Dream SMP[6][5] expressed their condolences, support, and admiration for him online.[6] Simon Collins-Laflamme, the co-founder of Hypixel,[22][5] and business magnate Elon Musk[48] expressed similar feelings. YouTube tweeted its condolences to his family, friends, and fans following the release of the video.[49] The official Minecraft Twitter account also tweeted its condolences,[25][50] and the Sarcoma Foundation of America displayed a bespoke tribute on their website.[8] Polygon described Technoblade as "one of Minecraft's most celebrated personalities".[5]
In an interview with The New York Times, Don Pireso, Hypixel's lead administrator, stated that Technoblade's family would not be providing any further comments regarding his death beyond what they were comfortable sharing in the video. The Hypixel team also established a digital space on its Minecraft server where fans could use the in-game book and quill item to write one-page messages until August 2022.[4] Over 377,000 messages[24] were printed across 22 volumes, which were delivered to Technoblade's family by Hypixel Studios CEO Noxy on November 2022, alongside a volume of fan-made artwork, a fan-made oil painting of Technoblade, and a Technoblade-themed cosplay headpiece.[51]
On July 2, 2022, Mojang Studios added a tribute to Technoblade in the launcher image of Minecraft: Java Edition.[52] The modified image added a crown to a pig, in reference to Technoblade's in-game Minecraft skin and channel branding.[50] The tribute was removed one month later when the image was replaced to promote Minecraft's Wild Update.[53] After fans had suggested the addition, Mojang added a new splash text—"Technoblade never dies!"—to the Minecraft title screen.[53][54] In an email to The New York Times, Mojang Studios wrote that Technoblade "became synonymous with a source of good".[24]
On September 28, 2022, the Sarcoma Foundation of America presented the SFA Courage Award to Technoblade’s family to honor Technoblade's "strength and perseverance in [his] sarcoma diagnosis".[43]
On October 28, 2022, nine years after the creation of the Technoblade YouTube channel, YouTube uploaded an eight-minute video to its official channel commemorating Technoblade's ninth anniversary entitled "Technoblade Never Dies". YouTube revealed that since his death in June, an average of 300 new videos with the same catchphrase in the title were uploaded daily.[55] On the same day, a video was uploaded by MrBeast which is believed to be the last video that Technoblade participated in.[56][57]
On June 23, 2023, Dream released his fourth song, "Until I End Up Dead", in memory of Technoblade.[58] He released an alternate video for "Until I End Up Dead", titled "The Duel", also in memory of him on August 26, 2023.[59]
On the July 2023 r/place subreddit experiment, an artwork of Technoblade was made.[60]
Notes
- Technoblade's death was announced on June 30, 2022. While one source[1] reported that he died on that day, several others[2][3][4][5] only reported that his death was announced on that date.
- While some sources[6][7][8][9][10] reported that Technoblade died of sarcoma, others[2][3][5][11][12][13][14][15] did not specify the type of cancer he died of.
- Subscriber and view counts do not include any secondary or tertiary channels.
References
- Winslow, Jeremy (July 1, 2022). "Tributes Pour In For Beloved Minecraft YouTuber Technoblade". Kotaku. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- Owoseje, Toyin (July 1, 2022). "Technoblade, Minecraft YouTuber watched by millions, dead at 23". CNN. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- Spangler, Todd (July 1, 2022). "Technoblade, Popular Minecraft Creator, Dies From Cancer at 23". Variety. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- Holpuch, Amanda (July 1, 2022). "Technoblade, YouTube Star Popular for Minecraft Videos, Has Died". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- Goslin, Austen (July 1, 2022). "Popular Minecraft YouTuber Technoblade dies at 23". Polygon. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- "Technoblade: Minecraft YouTuber dies from cancer aged 23". BBC News. July 1, 2022. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- Vincent, James (July 1, 2022). "Technoblade, a popular Minecraft YouTuber, dies from cancer age 23 — shares final video". The Verge. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- Saunders, Cindy (July 2022). "Technoblade Tribute". Sarcoma Foundation of America. Archived from the original on July 4, 2022. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
- Sarcoma Foundation of America (July 1, 2022). "Sarcoma Foundation of America Responds to the Death of Gamer Technoblade" (PDF) (Press release). Archived (PDF) from the original on August 17, 2022. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
- Gutelle, Sam (July 1, 2022). "YouTube's 'Minecraft' community is mourning the death of Technoblade". Tubefilter. Archived from the original on August 4, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
- Blistein, Jon (July 1, 2022). "Technoblade, Popular Minecraft Player and YouTube Creator, Dead at 23". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- Suliman, Adela (July 1, 2022). "'Technoblade,' a star Minecraft gamer on Youtube, dies of cancer at 23". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- "Minecraft YouTuber Technoblade dies from cancer as his dad posts message he'd prepared for followers". Sky News. July 1, 2022. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- Powell, Tori (July 1, 2022). "Technoblade, popular internet gamer, dies at 23 after battle with cancer". CBS News. Archived from the original on July 4, 2022. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
- Harrison, Ellie (July 1, 2022). "Technoblade death: Minecraft YouTuber dies from cancer aged 23". The Independent. Archived from the original on July 5, 2022. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
- "About Technoblade". YouTube.
- "Technoblade". YouTube. Archived from the original on July 16, 2017. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
- "Technoblade's YouTube Stats". SocialBlade. Archived from the original on June 20, 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
- "Technoblade's YouTube Stats". SocialBlade. Archived from the original on August 3, 2022. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
- "About". Technoblade. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022 – via YouTube.
- Michael, Cale (May 29, 2021). "Why is Technoblade not competing in MC Championships (MCC) 14, Season 2". Dot Esports. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- Fay, Kacee (July 1, 2022). "'Force to be reckoned with': Internet comes together to mourn Technoblade". Dot Esports. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- Taylor, Mollie (June 1, 2021). "Sadist turns a Bop It into a Minecraft controller". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
- Holpuch, Amanda (July 19, 2022). "Mourning Technoblade: Fans Grieve a Minecraft Star They Never Met". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 24, 2022. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
- Blistein, Jon (July 1, 2022). "Minecraft Pays Tribute to Trailblazing Streamer Technoblade: 'He Meant So Much to Our Community'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
- Çakır, Gökhan (May 15, 2021). "Technoblade's Minecraft settings". Dot Esports. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- Stanton, Rich (July 1, 2022). "Minecraft Youtuber Technoblade dies at the age of 23". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- Rolta, Mehul (July 1, 2022). "One of Minecraft Icon Technoblade's Most Memorable YouTube Videos Involved MrBeast, Dream and $100,000". EssentiallySports. Archived from the original on July 11, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
- Lai, Glenn (September 28, 2021). "'Minecraft' Youtuber raises over $300,000 for cancer research in under 4 hours". Happy Mag. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
- Cyre, Clayton Sterling (August 3, 2022). "YouTuber Technoblade Posthumously Passes Major Subscriber Milestone". Game Rant. Archived from the original on August 15, 2022. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
- Technoblade [@technothepig] (May 31, 2020). "my birthday's tomorrow. looks like this is the end boys" (Tweet). Archived from the original on July 20, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022 – via Twitter.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - Pandey, Devasheesh (July 1, 2022). "Who is Technoblade, Minecraft streamer who died from cancer at 23?". India TV. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- Nightingale, Ed (April 15, 2021). "Death threats sent to Minecraft YouTuber Technoblade for alleged racist tweets". PinkNews. Archived from the original on October 16, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
- Technoblade (August 11, 2018). im going to college AHHHHHHHHHHHHH (video). Archived from the original on March 21, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023 – via YouTube.
- Technoblade (September 14, 2019). i dropped out of college to play minecraft lol (video). Archived from the original on March 21, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023 – via YouTube.
- Saunders, Cindy (July 1, 2022). "Technoblade Tribute". Sarcoma Foundation of America. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
- Michael, Cale (September 26, 2021). "Technoblade and the Minecraft community raise $323K for cancer research in under four hours". Dot Esports. Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
- Michael, Cale (August 27, 2021). "Minecraft content creator Technoblade announces he has been diagnosed with cancer". Dot Esports. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
- Michael, Cale (June 30, 2022). "Minecraft content creator Technoblade has died following battle with cancer". Dot Esports. Archived from the original on July 3, 2022. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
- Evans, Greg (July 1, 2022). "Technoblade Dies: YouTube Creator & Minecraft Gamer With 11 Million Subscribers Was 23". Deadline. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- Dinsdale, Ryan (July 1, 2022). "Minecraft YouTuber Technoblade Dies, Aged 23". IGN. Archived from the original on July 4, 2022. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
- Ghoshal, Shivaditya (January 27, 2023). "Late Minecraft YouTuber Technoblade's Father Shares An Emotional Song That Was Supposed To Be In His "so long nerds" Video". EssentiallySports. Archived from the original on July 11, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
- Sarcoma Foundation of America. "Technoblade To Be Honored by SFA with Courage Award at New York Gala" (Press release). Archived from the original on February 7, 2023. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
- "Fans remember Technoblade, a Minecraft YouTuber who died of cancer". CBC.ca. July 4, 2022. Archived from the original on September 27, 2023. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
- Technoblade (June 30, 2022). so long nerds (video). Archived from the original on September 4, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022 – via YouTube.
- Stanton, Rich (December 2, 2022). "Technoblade's farewell is the top trending YouTube video of 2022". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on December 2, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
- Spangler, Todd (December 1, 2022). "YouTube Releases 2022 Trending U.S. Videos, Creators: Technoblade, MrBeast Top Lists". Variety. Archived from the original on July 11, 2023. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
- Massie, Graeme (July 2, 2022). "Elon Musk breaks Twitter silence after nine days". The Independent. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
- YouTube [@YouTubeGaming] (July 1, 2022). "Through the hardest challenges, Technoblade was able to share his light and energy with so many around the world. We're deeply saddened by the news of his passing and our thoughts go out to his family, friends, and the @Technothepig community❤️" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 5, 2023. Retrieved August 15, 2022 – via Twitter.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - Kastrenakes, Jacob (July 4, 2022). "Minecraft adds tribute to Technoblade after streamer's death". The Verge. Archived from the original on July 4, 2022. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
- NoxyD (November 11, 2022). "Noxy @ Hypixel Studios on Twitter: "With permission from his family here are the Technoblade book(s) of condolences in full. Players on the Hypixel server were able to leave a message to be printed into the book". Twitter. Archived from the original on February 25, 2023. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - Chalk, Andy (July 4, 2022). "Mojang pays tribute to Technoblade on the Minecraft loading screen". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on August 3, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
- Fay, Kacee (August 6, 2022). "Fans outraged after Mojang removes Technoblade tribute from Minecraft launcher". Dot Esports. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
- Diaz, Ana (July 6, 2022). "Minecraft launch page remembers Technoblade with his avatar". Polygon. Archived from the original on July 8, 2022. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
- Michaels, Stephen (October 29, 2022). "Technoblade Fans Touched By YouTube's Tribute Video". SVG. Archived from the original on January 25, 2023. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
- MrBeast (October 28, 2022). 100 Youtuber Minecraft Battle Royale! (video). Archived from the original on February 2, 2023. Retrieved February 2, 2023 – via YouTube.
- Tomar, Mintu (October 29, 2022). "Technoblade Fans Get Emotional as MrBeast Gives a Heart-Melting Tribute". EssentiallySports. Archived from the original on July 11, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
- Garcia, Thania; Aswad, Jem (June 23, 2023). "Music Industry Moves: Singer-Songwriter Ilsey Signs With Elektra, Dream Inks With Mercury/ Republic". AOL. Archived from the original on July 11, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
- "The Duel". Dream. Archived from the original on September 27, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2023 – via YouTube.
- Peters, Jay (July 21, 2023). "Reddit expanded the r/Place canvas, and users immediately wrote messages cursing the CEO". The Verge. Archived from the original on August 18, 2023. Retrieved July 26, 2023.