Shacknews would like to take a moment and step away from games to remember that life is about more than that. It is with a heavy heart that I confirm that Tyler J. Smith, former Shacknews contributor, has passed away at the young age of 30.
As one of Shacknews' web administrators, Tyler was largely responsible for many of the screenshots, videos, and assets that you would see on this site from roughly 2008 through Shacknews' most recent sale in 2013. Tyler loved this site and Chatty's posters loved him, in return. On a personal note, Tyler helped me accustom myself to this website and this wonderful community when I first started becoming an active poster. He helped guide me and helped me open up to this group of people and I'll never forget that.
Tyler suffered from multiple debilitating conditions, including Duchenne muscular dystrophy, which left him confined to a wheelchair. Even in the midst of the staff shakeup, this site's moderators and I continued to reach out to him. He was part of our family and we wanted to make sure he was okay. Over the past year, he had been in-and-out of hospital care and we would all take solace whenever he would check in either in Chatty or privately with the moderators and myself. But as time went on, tracking down Tyler became more and more difficult. The check-ins would become less frequent. And it was today that we learned the worst had happened.
Shacknews, both the staff and the community, want to do right by Tyler. His obituary has asked for memorial contributions to the Make-A-Wish foundation, the same organization that once sent Tyler out to meet the cast of the original Star Trek during the making of its 30th anniversary special. So we ask that you open your hearts and make a donation to the Make-A-Wish foundation in Tyler's name.
