Jarod Nandin, a member of the Blizzard fan community known for his South Park World of Warcraft cosplay, has died.
BlizzCon host Michele Morrow, who met Nandin in 2013, shared the news on Twitter Sunday afternoon, adding that Nandin had died due to COVID-19.
“Today the @warcraft and greater @blizzard community lost one of it’s sweetest souls to Covid-19. I met Jarod in 2013 when I asked to take a photo with him and stupidly grabbed -and broke- the Rockstar energy drink glued to his desk. I was mortified and Jarod couldn’t stop laughing. I felt awful but he gave me a hug and we became friends. In 2014, my first year hosting the convention, we met up and recreated the moment we first met. Jarod had a fantastic sense of humor and was an advocate for cosplayers, body acceptance and positivity. I always enjoyed seeing him online and at conventions throughout the years….Jarod was one of the fucking best. It’s not fair. Rest In Peace Jarod, you beautiful soul. Blizzcon won’t be the same without YOU. Thank you for making an impact on my life and so many others. Tonight we raise our thumb drives of “The Sword of a Thousand Truths” in your honor. We will never forget you.”
Nandin rose to viral fame for his 2013 cosplay of “That Which Has No Life,” the unkempt antagonist of South Park’s World of Warcraft episode “Make Love, Not Warcraft.” Members of the Blizzard community are mourning Nandin by posting photos of them holding up their "Sword of a Thousand Truths," a reference to the same South Park episode.
Blizzcon 2013 - Jarod’s famous cosplay moment. It’s impossible not to watch this without smiling: pic.twitter.com/OOXIA07y38
— Michele Morrow (@michelemorrow) January 4, 2021
Nandin tweeted on December 18 that he had been admitted to the hospital for chest pains, and confirmed his COVID diagnosis on December 22. His final tweet on December 28 detailed that his diagnosis had not been improving, with his oxygen saturation levels dropping below an acceptable limit.
“I tested positive for COVID,” Nandin’s last Instagram post reads. “I’m really sorry to worry you guys. I’m in the hospital getting treatment. Things look good. I’m just looking at COVID with a shit-eating grin on my face and saying: ‘How do you kill that which has no life?’”
Nandin was also known for promoting body positivity in the gaming community.
[poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer for IGN, and he raises his Sword of a Thousand Truths in your honor.