Who was Richard Lowtax Kyanka? Tributes pour in as 'Something Awful' founder passes away at 45

Richard Lowtax Kyanka, founder of the comedy website Something Awful, reportedly passed away at 45 on November 9, 2021. The news of his demise was announced by the long time administrator of the site Kevin “Fragmaster” Bowen:&quot;I guess I should preface this by saying this isn’t a joke especially since I’m posting for like the first time in 10 years or something, but I got the bad news today directly from Rich’s family. Lowtax has passed away. I didn't ask for details. I don't know details. I don't know what the current opinion of Rich here is. Not here to answer questions, I'm sharing the news. I really hate to share this news. But there you go.&quot;The news was further confirmed by the late comedian’s second wife, who revealed that the creator took his own life. The family has also organized a GoFundMe fundraiser to support Richard’s three daughters.A glance into the life of Richard Lowtax KyankaRichard Lowtax Kyanka is known as the founder of Something Awful (Image via Gaming Stream Live/Facebook)Richard Lowtax Kyanka is remembered as the founder of the iconic comedy website and forum Something Awful. Born on May 17, 1976, he previously worked as a systems administrator for the Vanderbilt Vision and Research Center.He initially launched Something Awful as a unique platform in 1999, but the site became an internet phenomenon in the early 2000s. It serves as a hub for comedic blogs, articles, reviews, digital images and forums, and has created a great community of its own.During a 2017 interview with Vice, Kyanka revealed that the idea behind his successful website stemmed from his work as a writer for Quake:&quot;I dropped out of school my junior year because I hated engineering and took a job being a systems administrator for the Vanderbilt Vision and Research Center. In my free time I would play a lot of Quake 2 and write about Quake 2. Around '98, GameSpy said, &quot;Do you want to run PlanetQuake?&quot; So I said, &quot;Yeah, OK,&quot; and moved to Orange County. I got paid $24,000 a year to write about Quake 2.&quot;Over the years, Something Awful was also recognized for popularizing meme culture and generated iconic memes like “All your base belongs to us” and The Slender man. Unfortunately, a part of the community was eventually plagued by extreme toxicity and garnered criticism online.Meanwhile, Richard Lowtax Kyanka also faced legal troubles in his personal life. In 2020, the creator was accused of domestic violence against his second wife and former girlfriend. However, the charges were later dropped and no arrests were made due to a lack of evidence.The 45-year-old also sold Something Awful to YOSPOS administrator Jeffrey in October 2020. The latter went on to ban Kyanka from his site earlier this year.Twitter reacts to Richard Lowtax Kyanka’s demiseRichard Lowtax Kyanka is often recognized for his influence on internet culture. He was also regarded as one of the most influential online figures in the late 90s and early 2000s.Following the news of his tragic demise, several social media users took to Twitter to share their reactions and pay their tributes to the creator:alex hern@alexhernRichard “Lowtax” Kyanka, the founder of Something Awful, has died. Strong case for him being one of the most influential cultural figures of the internet age.1:18 AM · Nov 11, 2021362107Richard “Lowtax” Kyanka, the founder of Something Awful, has died. Strong case for him being one of the most influential cultural figures of the internet age.Takes Of Vesperia@coolranchzakuI walk out here every night with &quot;hustle, loyalty and respect&quot; on my sleeve. that is a credo I have adopted for the men and women who defend the freedom of this country. we have caught, and COMPROMISED to a permanent end, richard &quot;lowtax&quot; kyanka8:39 AM · Nov 11, 2021508I walk out here every night with &quot;hustle, loyalty and respect&quot; on my sleeve. that is a credo I have adopted for the men and women who defend the freedom of this country. we have caught, and COMPROMISED to a permanent end, richard &quot;lowtax&quot; kyanka https://t.co/XyugXXYmzXDale Beran@DaleBeranApparently, the founder of Something Awful, Richard “Lowtax” Kyanka died. When I spoke to him in 2017 for my book (which he disliked) he was funny and gracious. He was also in poor health and sad. He loved SA’s creative legacy and hated many of the negative things it spawned.9:17 AM · Nov 11, 2021326Apparently, the founder of Something Awful, Richard “Lowtax” Kyanka died. When I spoke to him in 2017 for my book (which he disliked) he was funny and gracious. He was also in poor health and sad. He loved SA’s creative legacy and hated many of the negative things it spawned.tarachara@tara_charaHad the pleasure of meeting Richard &quot;Lowtax&quot; Kyanka at a charity do once. He was surprisingly down to earth, and VERY funny.9:15 AM · Nov 11, 202191Had the pleasure of meeting Richard &quot;Lowtax&quot; Kyanka at a charity do once. He was surprisingly down to earth, and VERY funny.CHOAM Nomsky@samthielmanI’m too sincere to post about this but I really am sad Richard “Lowtax” Kyanka appears to have died at age 46. Lots of terrible stuff originated there but 20 years ago, Something Awful was a fun hangout for angry guys my age.9:37 AM · Nov 11, 202111I’m too sincere to post about this but I really am sad Richard “Lowtax” Kyanka appears to have died at age 46. Lots of terrible stuff originated there but 20 years ago, Something Awful was a fun hangout for angry guys my age.Frigmaster@vruntrichard lowtax kyanka has died7:46 AM · Nov 11, 20211702richard lowtax kyanka has diedrootfish@RootfishJust learned Richard &quot;Lowtax&quot; Kyanka, founder of Something Awful, has died.8:25 AM · Nov 11, 202131Just learned Richard &quot;Lowtax&quot; Kyanka, founder of Something Awful, has died.JF@jackfruitstakenRIP big man Richard &quot;Lowtax&quot; Kyanka. Not many people will say nice things about him considering the whole domestic assault conviction, but I think he had his moments.10:27 AM · Nov 11, 20215RIP big man Richard &quot;Lowtax&quot; Kyanka. Not many people will say nice things about him considering the whole domestic assault conviction, but I think he had his moments.BeetleMan1979@BeetleMan1979RIP Richard &quot;Lowtax&quot; Kyanka. If you had internet in the early 2000s, you know who he was and that Something Awful was THE place to be.8:42 AM · Nov 11, 20212RIP Richard &quot;Lowtax&quot; Kyanka. If you had internet in the early 2000s, you know who he was and that Something Awful was THE place to be.Former Something Awful administrator Kevin “Fragmaster” Bowen also acknowledged Richard’s legacy in his tribute video:“The Something Awful forums spawned a great many things in its multiple decades of existence. Some things horrible and unfortunate, many things just unintelligible and a huge waste of time. But ultimately, Rich created a community where interesting things happened and people connected.”Irrespective of the conflicting opinions of Richard Lowtax Kyanka and his creation, he will always be remembered for his legacy and contribution to the millennial era internet.

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