Last week Kotaku writer Mike Fahey passed away at the age of 49, four years after suffering from a torn aorta which left him paralyzed from the chest down. Fahey had joined the staff of the Gawker network’s video game news site in 2006, hired by former editor Brian Crescente – Fahey had no experience but was a commenter on a blog Crescente had founded. Aside from gaming, Fahey’s main beats were snacks, toys, and officiating the spectacularly funny weekly Kotaku Shop Contest.
While he was funny as hell, Fahey also had quite a range and churned out deeply moving pieces about overcoming his gaming addiction and his experience inside his mind while in a coma following the aortic tear. National Zero sends its deepest condolences to Mike’s wife, two sons, and coworkers at Kotaku. His wit and ability to not take himself or his subject matter too seriously was a gift to readers and an inspiration for National Zero. May Valhalla welcome his soul.