The fighting game community is in mourning over the passing of one of their own and a person who had a profound influence on many lives worldwide and passed after a lifetime struggle with a rare, almost unknown, illness.
Regretfully, Michael 'BrolyLegs' Begum's family has announced his passing. He was only thirty-five, according to EventHub.
Begum lived with his siblings, Jonathan and Karin Begum, after being born in Brownsville, Texas, in April 1988. His parents were Josefine and Michael Begum, Sr.
Due to arthrogryposis, a rare and severe medical ailment that affected his limbs and joints and left him largely immobile, BrolyLegs has been immobile since birth.
Begum fell in love with video games from an early age and devised a unique way to manipulate them with his mouth, chin, wrist, and face.
This would introduce BrolyLegs to the competitive gaming industry as a teen, but his biggest legacy was in the fighting game community.
With his signature Chun-Li, he was able to become the top player in online Street Fighter 4 and compete with her in tournaments around the nation, making new friends everywhere he went.
Beyond just his skill, he has received recognition for his work with AbleGamers, as a well-respected coach who helped players get better, and even as an author for his book, My Life Beyond the Floor.
There is currently no information available regarding a public memorial, nor has the cause of death been made public.
In order to demonstrate how many lives BrolyLegs has affected and how he was more than just a legend in his own right, the family is currently asking that anyone who wishes to to kindly share memories and experiences of the late gamer.
John 'Velociraptor' Guerrero, another prominent figure in the late gamer's world, put together a message to share about the death.
"It's easy to become a worse version of yourself when even the smallest inconveniences or bumps in the road come along and threaten to ruin your day.
"Some people live with chronic pain and inconvenience and use it as an excuse to be nasty and spit venom at people around them. Mike had a bigger excuse to be this way than most, and yet he made an active choice every day to be kind, bright, fun, and loving to almost everyone around him.
"Never was he a victim (in life or in Street Fighter) and instead he created an atmosphere where everyone in the room was encouraged to be a more honest and human version of themselves.
"I've shown the Cross Counter video of BrolyLegs beasting on Mike Ross to many friends and family members over the years, always with two points: 'I know this guy and he's awesome,' and 'whatever your excuse is about not being able to do something... you can probably still do it.'
"RIP Michael BrolyLegs Begum. I wish his family peace and I hope they know that he made a real impact on the world with his 35 years of life, and they should be proud of him forever."
