TotalBiscuit, one of the most popular Youtuber and video game critic has died on Thursday at the age of 33. He was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2014, but it took him one year to announce publicly that his cancer was terminal. Only three weeks ago, he announced on Reddit that he would be retiring as a critic, “I’m retiring to spend what’s left of my life sharing my love of gaming with my wife and all of you via co-op videos and streams.”

TotalBiscuit, whose real name is John Bain was born on July 8, 1984 had over 2 million subscribers on his YouTube channel, where he received an out pour of love and support from his fans. His wife, Gemma Bain announced the death on Twitter saying, “Rest in Peace my Dearest Love John @Totalbiscuit Bain July 8, 1984 – May 24, 2018.” She also wrote a heartfelt poem alongside it.

Over the years TotalBiscuit became the most popular and influential figures of gaming, while he did most of his work on YouTube also broadcasted live streams on his twitch channel. While he was best known for reviewing and discussing video games, he also discussed his tumultuous battle with cancer.

Earlier this year, he announced that his treatment was no longer effective.

During his decade of game reviews and writing, Bain rose to popularity for voicing his frustration with the games industry and how increasingly capitalist it had become, attempting to maximize profits over their players’ experiences.

Many prominent members of the gaming community including the official page of Fortnite have responded to his death. Fortnite’s official Twitter posted, “I’m so sorry for your loss.”

Brandan Greene, who created Battlegrounds also voiced his sadness, he wrote “Truly saddened to hear we have lost @Totalbiscuit. He was a giant in our industry and will be sorely missed.”

Twitch, which has grown in popularity because of its support of independent games, also thanked him for their support. They said on their official Twitter handle, “… The emote bearing his face represents the indelible mark that he has left on Twitch. Thank you for everything Total Biscuit.”

Bain once talked about his cancer diagnosis in an interview with H3H3, a popular YouTube channel, in October where he said, “There  are a couple of small tumors in my liver, there’s one very small nodule in my lung. It’s stage 4 which means that it’s past the initial place it was. That’s when survival chances go in the toilet.”

John Bain said that despite being burdened by regular chemotherapy, he wanted to continue making videos for as long as possible. “I’m proud of what I do, I enjoy it and I know that I am very blessed to be able to do it as a career. So I want to take every opportunity which can allow me to do it.”

The symptoms of bowel cancer include;

• Abrupt changes in bowel habits which last for more than three weeks
• Severe Abdominal fane
• Lump in the stomach
• Unexplained weight loss

If you have one or more of these symptoms, it is recommended to go see your GP right away.