Rooster Teeth animator Monty Oum, best known for his work on popular web series like RWBY and Red vs Blue, fell into a coma after suffering a severe allergic reaction during a medical procedure that eventually led to his death on February 1st 2015.
“Our friend, inspiration and co-worker Monty Oum passed away yesterday afternoon at 4:34 p.m. 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,” Rooster Teeth announced in the official statement.
When news broke out that Oum was hospitalized, a GofundMe page was set up to help the family with medical costs, and with the help of the Rooster Teeth community, they were able to raise 150,000 dollars in 24 hours, surpassing their original goal of 50,000 dollars.
Oum’s claim to fame came from his release of a videogame mash-up video of Halo and Metroid called “Haloid”. The video was released in 2007 and has gathered around 4.8 million views.
Oum was known for being incredibly dedicated to his work and was always creating something new, whether it be a new animation or costume.
“I don’t know of a time where he wasn’t working on 3 things at once” stated Gray Haddock, head of Rooster Teeth animation, in a podcast dedicated to Oum, “… he’s always thinking one year out in terms of like, the next show he’d want to do”.
His work inspired many animators and creators worldwide, RWBY and Red vs. Blue gather millions of views every episode. And his legacy will live on through those all of those who want to create.
As Monty Oum stated, “The most important thing is to do this as often as you can, watch movies, or watch shows, or watch things, just keep your eyes open”.