June 30, 2022: Technoblade (Alex, 23, 10.8M subscribers) died from sarcoma cancer. His father posted final video — Technoblade’s voice reading goodbye: “If you’re watching this, I am dead… so long nerds.” Minecraft/gaming community devastated. His PvP dominance, deadpan humor, “Technoblade never dies” catchphrase made him legend. Minecraft rivals (Dream, Skeppy, Philza) tribute videos. Obituaries in mainstream press. Proved YouTuber deaths hit Gen Z like celebrity deaths hit Boomers.
Sources: Final video (YouTube), obituaries (NYT, Guardian), Minecraft community tributes