Remembering Monty Oum
At the age of 33, Rooster Teeth team member and artist Monty Oum passed away due to a reaction during a medical procedure. With his loss comes a blow to the anime, gaming and online communities.
With his hard work and vivid imagination, Monty proved as an inspiration to many fans worldwide. For the past five years he lent his creativity to the webseries Red Vs. Blue; more recently developing, designing and producing his original series RWBY. Prior to his collaborations with Rooster Teeth, Monty made waves with his own originally-devised fan films based on video game assets. His unique sense of humour along with his stellar talent for animation brought a shine to everything he did.
In the days he spent in critical condition, his friends and loved ones posted a fundraiser to help with medical and emergency expenses, a rallying call which the fandom answered gladly by raising nearly $200k in 3 days. The creativity and originality that Oum brought to Rooster Teeth helped elevate the community into a global family, one which stands to endure even with his passing.
Rooster Teeth’s blog outlines the details of Monty’s passing and urges fans to pursue their own creative spirits:
“Our friend, inspiration and co-worker Monty Oum passed away yesterday afternoon at 4:34 PM surrounded by people who loved him very much. Ten days ago Monty suffered a severe allergic reaction during a simple medical procedure that left him in a coma. Although he fought bravely, his body was not able to recover. During his time in the hospital he was well cared for and never in pain at any time.
Monty is survived by his wife Sheena, his father Mony, his brothers Woody, Sey, Chivy and Neat, and his sisters Thea and Theary, as well as a countless number of fans and friends. We were so proud to be a part of his life and we will miss him greatly.
Your generosity during the hours after the public statement on Friday will help his family deal with the costs of his care and his passing. You made an incredible difference during a difficult time and we cannot thank you enough.
As for honoring Monty, we will do that in our own way. In lieu of flowers or gifts, we ask that you simply do something creative. Use your imagination to make the world a better place in any way that you can. If you know Monty like we do, then you know he would certainly be doing that if he were able to.
Monty was 33 years old.
We love you, Monty.”
(original statement from Rooster Teeth available here).
The next time you find yourself indulging in funny gamer videos or original animation online, remember to thank Monty for inspiring us to work hard and reach for our dreams.
