(no subject)

[pearwaldorf]

Grant Imahara passed away yesterday from a brain aneurysm. He was 49. It is gutting, both because of the unexpectedness and his relative youth. Unsurprisingly, he was a pillar of the Los Angeles geek community and my Twitter timeline has been flooded with shock and grief. He was apparently a lovely and kind person who made BB-8 and Yoda robots to entertain kids in the hospital, among other things. 

What I remember about him is the joy he took in robotics and engineering. He's right up there with Danny Who Blows Things Up from Doctor Who Confidential in terms of people who are an absolute delight to watch doing destructive things under controlled circumstances. I mean, look at that smile. That's somebody who loves what they're doing and can't believe they get paid to do it. 

I also always appreciated the delight he took in his fandom activities, especially his cosplay. Asian geek joy is a thing that you don't see a whole lot, and he was unapologetic about it. 

He was a rare bird, and we were lucky to have him, but I am also very sad we didn't get to keep him.

Comments

[nonelvis]

I saw him at my first Gally, and he looked like he was having the best time. He was just mingling with the rest of the fans, taking photos when asked, and always, always smiling. I'm just gutted that he's gone.

[silveradept]

I didn't get to meet him, but by all rights, based on what I saw of him on television, he made all of our lives better.