Remembering Ryan Davis, 1979 - 2013

I'll admit, I'm very new to the Giant Bomb train, but on the few pieces of content I've watched from the site, Ryan has stood out as someone you rarely see in online content -- a smart, witty, funny man who was just generally likable. He instantly clicked with me. I don't share the same deep relationships with him that many on GAF do, but I feel uneasy and incredibly saddened by this news just as much.

RIP Ryan. May you grace heaven with your uniqueness as much as you graced us here on Earth.
 
Baron_Calamity said:
I've been trying to write this post all day. It may go on a tangent, so people may think this isn't the place. I'm sorry in advance.

I feel horrible. Of course. Everyone is, I'm 43 years old and I've lost many friends. Even internet friends. Sure internet friends aren't "real" but the emotions we feel are. I have taken some deaths of internet friends hard. I first experience this pre-internet when I ran a local multi-line BBS with door games. The most popular game was Scrabble. I even held local get togethers with real scrabble boards. It got insane. The best player was the 73 year old retired man. We got to be fairly close in real life as well. One day I got home from work and saw he had been logged on to the BBS play Scrabble for 14 hours. He passed away playing on my computer. That hit me hard but for some reason, Ryan Davis' passing is hitting me harder and it is making me feel weird.

As some of you may know, I've been battling heart disease for the past few years.Last year I had a heart attack and was rushed in to have several cardiac artery stents installed.When I woke in recovery, I asked for my ipod and drifted in and out of sleep for the next 16 hours listening to the Giant Bombcast. Ryan Davis' upbeat attitude help me to get past a scary moment in my life. It was like he, and the rest of crew, were reassuring me. Everything was going to be all right. We are still going to be here talking about stuff you love.

I know speculating on Ryan's death is against the rules, Talking about just my case, I was a lot like Ryan before my heart attack. I was morbidly overweight, got out of breath easily, sweat all the time, and while I didn't use a CPAP machine to sleep at night, my doctors were concerned that I should have a sleep study done. After my heart attack, I lost close to 100 pounds, got fit, eating healthy, and exercised. Most of the time went I was on the treadmill I was listening to the Bombcast.

A few months ago, my heart took a significant turn for the worse. I went in for one corrective surgery, only to be woken up and told the surgeons didn't perform it because they didn't believe I could survive it. They told me I had just weeks to live and they were putting me on the transplant recipient list. I had another group of surgeons told inform me they could do the surgery in a different way and my odds of surviving would be 30%. I went in thinking I might never awake. In the recovery icu, my wife had the nurse put my ipod on me. When I awoke, I started my ipod and the first voice I heard was Ryan's cheerful voice "HELLO IT'S TUESDAY!!" Once again telling me that everything was going to be alright. I really believe that he and the rest of the bombcast was as important to my recovery as my exercise. My recovery so far as exceeded even the most optimistic estimates.

I wanted to write Ryan Davis and tell him how much he helped me. Just doing and loving his job. I didn't write him. I felt it was corny, he might never see it, or worse, he might have read it and then get self conscious. Now I wish I wrote it. Even if it was stupid.

RIP Mr Davis.
Click to expand...

Wonderful story. Thanks for sharing it. If one can take anything positive out of tragic unexpected events like this, it's that we really need to appreciate life while we can.
 
Baron_Calamity said:
I've been trying to write this post all day. It may go on a tangent, so people may think this isn't the place. I'm sorry in advance.

I feel horrible. Of course. Everyone is, I'm 43 years old and I've lost many friends. Even internet friends. Sure internet friends aren't "real" but the emotions we feel are. I have taken some deaths of internet friends hard. I first experience this pre-internet when I ran a local multi-line BBS with door games. The most popular game was Scrabble. I even held local get togethers with real scrabble boards. It got insane. The best player was the 73 year old retired man. We got to be fairly close in real life as well. One day I got home from work and saw he had been logged on to the BBS play Scrabble for 14 hours. He passed away playing on my computer. That hit me hard but for some reason, Ryan Davis' passing is hitting me harder and it is making me feel weird.

As some of you may know, I've been battling heart disease for the past few years.Last year I had a heart attack and was rushed in to have several cardiac artery stents installed.When I woke in recovery, I asked for my ipod and drifted in and out of sleep for the next 16 hours listening to the Giant Bombcast. Ryan Davis' upbeat attitude help me to get past a scary moment in my life. It was like he, and the rest of crew, were reassuring me. Everything was going to be all right. We are still going to be here talking about stuff you love.

I know speculating on Ryan's death is against the rules, Talking about just my case, I was a lot like Ryan before my heart attack. I was morbidly overweight, got out of breath easily, sweat all the time, and while I didn't use a CPAP machine to sleep at night, my doctors were concerned that I should have a sleep study done. After my heart attack, I lost close to 100 pounds, got fit, eating healthy, and exercised. Most of the time went I was on the treadmill I was listening to the Bombcast.

A few months ago, my heart took a significant turn for the worse. I went in for one corrective surgery, only to be woken up and told the surgeons didn't perform it because they didn't believe I could survive it. They told me I had just weeks to live and they were putting me on the transplant recipient list. I had another group of surgeons told inform me they could do the surgery in a different way and my odds of surviving would be 30%. I went in thinking I might never awake. In the recovery icu, my wife had the nurse put my ipod on me. When I awoke, I started my ipod and the first voice I heard was Ryan's cheerful voice "HELLO IT'S TUESDAY!!" Once again telling me that everything was going to be alright. I really believe that he and the rest of the bombcast was as important to my recovery as my exercise. My recovery so far as exceeded even the most optimistic estimates.

I wanted to write Ryan Davis and tell him how much he helped me. Just doing and loving his job. I didn't write him. I felt it was corny, he might never see it, or worse, he might have read it and then get self conscious. Now I wish I wrote it. Even if it was stupid.

RIP Mr Davis.
Click to expand...

Wow, thanks for writing this. Goes to show, optimism goes a long way in the brain affecting the body.
 
Kyou said:
Normally I'm not a fan of avatar bandwagon things but this feels like one I'd like to be part of.

However, I think the black ribbon is a bit too serious and morbid. It doesn't really seem to fit what Ryan was like.

I suggest:
eNLNPsi.jpg
Click to expand...

I agree, thanks.
 
I just read this... it's a real shock.

What was the cause of death? I don't mean to seem callous but the man was quite overweight and it makes me worry for Gerstmann.
 
I've caught news about this about a little over two hours ago. It's hit me hard.
I don't have much to say... but I do want to say things. It's a total bummer.

<>
Thanks Ryan Davis.
Thank you.
 
adj_noun said:
I’ve been thinking about this all day.

More specifically, I’ve been thinking about what initially brought me to Ryan, Giant Bomb and listening to the crew on a regular basis: video games. There are exceptions, but by and large games make me feel powerful by design. It’s a great feeling. Death is not an obstacle; it’s an annoyance, a brief trip to the loading screen after which I am once more a ninja quartering opponents with my razor sharp sword or a super soldier bellowing challenges across a torn and broken wasteland. Heck, sometimes death itself is a boss I can defeat by discerning then exploiting its movement pattern. I can hurt the world, but the world cannot hurt me.

When real life tragedy strikes, my own powerlessness becomes all too clear. I can’t pass the hat for a hundred coins or pluck a phoenix of its plumage to bring back those we’ve lost, as much as I may like to. What I can do is mourn in my own fashion by remembering what made me smile, what made me think, what made me laugh – for those and others like them are the precious, unforgettable moments that make us love.

My heart goes out to everyone affected by this.
Click to expand...

Made me smile :)
 
RIP again don't know why but I turned on the last podcast he was on and all that talk of near death by arcade machine has some Final Destination level creepiness to it.
 
This is just completely unbelievable. Holy shit. I don't even know what to say.
I saw this thread and thought it was a "Brad is leaving" type joke, that this could happen was just incomprehensible to me
I just want to say my heart goes out to his poor wife, his family, the Bomb Squad, all of his friends in the gaming industry and out of it, and everyone whose life he touched through the Bombcast.
He's honestly been one of my idols the past few years I've been struggling with life.

This may sound pessimistic to say, but I can't imagine the cast ever being the same. To me, Jeff and Ryan were the foundation of the podcast, with Vinnie and Brad providing further hilarity, and Patrick grounding the crew. I'll never stop listening, but part of me feels like a golden age has ended...
 
This actually kinda hurts in an emotional level. I didn't personally know him, but I've been listening to the bombcast for so long I feel like I do. I'm going to miss him and his humor, but I think I'll miss his 'Hey everybody it's Tuuuuesday!" the most.

He was a good foil for Jeff, he knew how to keep conversations moving, he was great at non-sequiturs, and it sucks that he's gone. Tragic. And two years younger than me? Just doesn't make sense.
 
He seemed like a genuinely nice guy, also recently married and too young to leave us. This hit me harder than I'd expect, but he does remind me of some very close friends.
I can only imagine how hard it must be for his co-workers(which are all close friends, really) and family right now.

That gaffer's story about surgery, ryan and all is beautiful, congratulations.
 
Anyone have a link to his summerjam playlist? I can't seem to find a working link... I can't think of anything better than listening to his summerjams right now.
 
 
Jesus... what a horrible shock. I was just listening to last week's podcast, and thinking about how it feels like there's something missing when Ryan isn't hosting. He always brings such energy and enthusiasm to the show...

Oh man this sucks. RIP. Condolences to his new wife. Just... fuck.
 
Been listening to him in one form or another for going on 8 years now. His death feels so sudden and I've not even fully grasped that I'll never hear him on another new bombcast.

Got the news at work and was fighting the tears only semi successfully all day long. I can only imagine how rough it is for his close friends and family.

RIP Ryan, you were one of the best.
 
CrovaxPSO said:
I know what you mean. I feel like it's kind of strange to be as sad as I am about Ryan, since like most other people in this thread I never met him in person. It really goes to show you how much Giant Bomb being such a personality-driven site helps people connect with the crew. It's going to be rough hearing podcasts from now on without Ryan, seeing the launch of new consoles without him, not having his opinion on game of the year stuff. As much as I'm going to miss his presence, my heart is also aching for his new wife and the other Giant Bomb crew. It's somewhat comforting to know how awesome his wedding was, and that he was able to spend time with all of his closest friends so recently.
Click to expand...
Sadly, I don't think Giant Bomb can ever be as good ever again.

I really hope they let us see at least some video from his wedding. Just one last time Ryan, I want to see your magic light up the world. And I want to see you on your most special day with the people you love enjoying as much happiness as your heart could possibly hold.
 
I had the pleasure of meeting Ryan on several occasions. The first time was many years ago at E3. I was coming out of a meeting at Activision and he was just going in. I stopped him to tell him how happy I was to finally meet him. I told him that I was the same age and his writing and opinions were so in tune with my own, that I looked to him for advice on so many occasions and was never let down. He was gracious and thankful. We spoke for about 5 minutes more, before they called him into the meeting room.
I have subsequently run into him at least 4 more times that I could remember at E3 in the years since and every time I saw him, he remembered me and we would have a quick 2-3 minute conversation.
In this era of bloggers, we as readers come to form a bond with those that are closely matched with our own interests. We look forward to reading articles and seeing videos where people like ourselves share their opinions with us.
For me, Ryan was that person. I am thankful to have met him and even more thankful to have been able to read and digest all of the many articles and videos he has done over the many years.
My heart goes out to the many friends and family of Ryan, as well as the huge number of fans he had. The good news, is that his legacy will live on, thanks to the internet and whenever we need that fix, it will only be a button press away.
Thank you Ryan Davis, for all of the contributions you made. For all of the advice you gave me. For remembering my name.
Rest in peace.
 
I feel like a close friend just died even though I only met Ryan once at PAX East. Getting to know him via the Bombcast has been one of the highlights of my week for the last 4 years.

You will be sorely missed friend. Rest in peace.
 
Baron_Calamity said:
I've been trying to write this post all day. It may go on a tangent, so people may think this isn't the place. I'm sorry in advance.

I feel horrible. Of course. Everyone is, I'm 43 years old and I've lost many friends. Even internet friends. Sure internet friends aren't "real" but the emotions we feel are. I have taken some deaths of internet friends hard. I first experience this pre-internet when I ran a local multi-line BBS with door games. The most popular game was Scrabble. I even held local get togethers with real scrabble boards. It got insane. The best player was the 73 year old retired man. We got to be fairly close in real life as well. One day I got home from work and saw he had been logged on to the BBS play Scrabble for 14 hours. He passed away playing on my computer. That hit me hard but for some reason, Ryan Davis' passing is hitting me harder and it is making me feel weird.

As some of you may know, I've been battling heart disease for the past few years.Last year I had a heart attack and was rushed in to have several cardiac artery stents installed.When I woke in recovery, I asked for my ipod and drifted in and out of sleep for the next 16 hours listening to the Giant Bombcast. Ryan Davis' upbeat attitude help me to get past a scary moment in my life. It was like he, and the rest of crew, were reassuring me. Everything was going to be all right. We are still going to be here talking about stuff you love.

I know speculating on Ryan's death is against the rules, Talking about just my case, I was a lot like Ryan before my heart attack. I was morbidly overweight, got out of breath easily, sweat all the time, and while I didn't use a CPAP machine to sleep at night, my doctors were concerned that I should have a sleep study done. After my heart attack, I lost close to 100 pounds, got fit, eating healthy, and exercised. Most of the time went I was on the treadmill I was listening to the Bombcast.

A few months ago, my heart took a significant turn for the worse. I went in for one corrective surgery, only to be woken up and told the surgeons didn't perform it because they didn't believe I could survive it. They told me I had just weeks to live and they were putting me on the transplant recipient list. I had another group of surgeons told inform me they could do the surgery in a different way and my odds of surviving would be 30%. I went in thinking I might never awake. In the recovery icu, my wife had the nurse put my ipod on me. When I awoke, I started my ipod and the first voice I heard was Ryan's cheerful voice "HELLO IT'S TUESDAY!!" Once again telling me that everything was going to be alright. I really believe that he and the rest of the bombcast was as important to my recovery as my exercise. My recovery so far as exceeded even the most optimistic estimates.

I wanted to write Ryan Davis and tell him how much he helped me. Just doing and loving his job. I didn't write him. I felt it was corny, he might never see it, or worse, he might have read it and then get self conscious. Now I wish I wrote it. Even if it was stupid.

RIP Mr Davis.
Click to expand...

Bless you and Ryan, Baron.
 
No idea what to say. Like everyone else here, I listened to and watched so many thousands of hours of Giant Bomb's stuff and I absolutely loved the guy. Can't imagine how it is for everyone at GB, his family, especially his new wife. RIP, you charmingly garrulous man.
 
Only finding out now. RIP Ryan.

Sort of in shock. I can't imagine gb without Ryan. I've listened to the bombcast and the arrows pointing down podcast since it started. I'm honestly heart broken. My heart goes out his family and friends.
 
Having recently faced my own mortality, and possibly facing it still...this made me a little more sad than I thought it would. I don't know what else to say besides RIP.
 
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