David Jennings, Man Behind Beloved Avatar Adric Antfarm, Dead at 41 (UPDATED)

UPDATE, 9/26: Tulsa World has an obituary to David here. He was an information technology technician who died last Monday at the age of 41. (Thanks to Hypatia Collisto for the link.) The above photo at left is taken from an online memorial his friend John has created, a glimpse of an antic real life personality that was also reflected in Second Life (as above right, from an appearance in SL earlier this year). Writing on his blog, Adric's friend Amalia Broome has a moving obituary for both Adric and David here:

Although David Jennings and Adric Antfarm lived on different ‘planes’ in the world, they were truly the same human being. Second Life can be a place for people to hide and be someone else but David wasn’t one of those people. He and Adric shared the same spirit, the same personality, the same outlook, the same goals and the same talent. One was an avatar and one was flesh and blood.

Read the rest here. Now that news of his passing is sadly confirmed, I've removed "reportedly" from this posts's title.

9/24: The Second Life avatar known as Adric Antfarm, in real life an Oklahoma resident named David Jennings, is reportedly dead from a sudden stroke. I've been in email correspondence with his best friend, John Boston, who tells me he discovered David's body after one of his concerned co-workers called. John says he is writing an obituary for his friend, and I told him I'd encourage his friends from Second Life to share their memories here, so that he perhaps might include them in his write-up. A proud US Army veteran, David honorably served during the 90s, and once sent me this mixed reality photo featuring one of his tattoos from that time. I fondly remember his scabrous, surreal wit, fully on display on his blog, and his passion for Second Life at its best. (Daniel Voyager has a collection of posts from other SL bloggers remembering Adric here.)

Comments

[Ann Otoole InSL]

now you want to get paid for Adric's death by soaking hits on your spasm infested blue mars shithole?.

FUCK OFF ASSHOLE

GTFO of SL and GO AWAY

[Nine Warrhol]

If this is indeed true, my sincerest condolences to Adric's family and friends. His blog and his sense of humor were very unique and he was a funny guy.

@Ann the Tool, you know I see your drivel all over the internet and you are proving with your post exactly the type of person I believed you to be. You really should logout to RL, you are disgraceful.

[Lem Skall]

I'm not a fan of Hamlet's and I'm not comfortable with Hamlet's use of Adric's death either but I think that Ann is going too far.

I say good for Hamlet that he got hired by Blue Mars. He's blogging for the money and there is nothing wrong with that. It's one of the crazed fallacies of many SL users that people should put the good of SL before their own good and that people are traitors if they don't do so. Now, Hamlet is a hypocrite because he has been promoting that same attitude himself but his mistake was when he did THAT, not when he went over to BM.

[Mistletoe]

I'm not sure just what Adric would have said to Ann's comment, but I'm willing to guess it would have added up to STFU. Since he's not with us to say it, I am.

[Robert Kohut]

I see it more in the light that Hamlet is offering us information on a fellow resident's passing - we now have an additional website filled with more musings than we may have had before this post.

I also find it odd that others are upset by Hamlet posting blue mars. This is New World Notes after all - musing about the metaverse and the residents that build them.

Besides, THIS post is about an unfortunate recent event - not to be confused with pocket padding.

[Hamlet Au]

Thanks Robert.

Normally I'd delete various uncivil comments above, but I know Adric wasn't happy with me doing work for Blue Mars, so I'll let those stand. I will say two things: Over the past 4 years, this blog has noted the passing of many well known figures in Second Life many times, and always will. And going forward, it would be better if comments here be about Adric and only Adric. Thanks.

[Drift]

What a disgusting post title. "Reportedly Dead"....show some respect!!!

[Crap Mariner]

Then feel free to delete this comment, as you deleted many comments by Adric...

I agree with Ann.

-ls/cm

[Nine Warrhol]

When you read news on say, CNN or Fox or where ever you get your regular news, do you bemoan the fact that there is advertising on the page?

I so do not understand why you all are trying to take this guy down for reporting Adric's passing.

I bet if Hamlet hadn't reported it, you would be saying the opposite-any reason to write an angry post.

Instead of making this about yourselves, you could just just say nice things about Adric-if you have them to say as he was a funny guy and it won't be the same him not blogging or posting to various other blogs.

A modicum of decorum is not asking too much.

[Definitely Gibbs]

Hamlet did a good thing. I didnt know adric antfarm before, thanks to Hamlet now i do. Hamlet runs a succesful blog and he has to report the events as they happen, no matter what. He is one of the few that can do this, so let him do it and STFU.

and the Blue Mars thing...he is free to do what he wants of his blog, if Avatar reality gives him the money that Linden Lab owes him, let him get it anyway!
Only one thing....Blue Mars sucks. I tried it twice, its an amateur copy of SL in its early stages. Sl has its faults, waiting to be resolved, but joining Blue Mars now would take me back to 2003 in a second and I dont want to do that, lol. I seriously doubt they will ever end the beta phase succesfully, so good luck Hamlet. I would have waited a little bit more before the big move.

[Jane2 McMahon]

"Reportedly" dead? If you don't know, then save posting the "news" until you do.

[Jane2 McMahon]

And to add, it's shameless that you don't even have the decency to send people to Adric's site to reminisce about the man, but instead think that it's appropriate to do so here, where you don't even acknowledge his death as a certainty, and where you deleted his opinions as often as not.

[Astaroth]

God, some of you people are a real pile of stupid, you know that?

There is nothing, NOTHING wrong with this post by Hamlet. You ignorant collection of virtual hillbillies living out your sad soap-opera lives in a cartoon world get upset because someone doesn't worship at the altar of SL sufficiently for you? And you take it out on him in a comment thread designed only to show respect?

What a sorry lot of failbags you are.

[Lem Skall]

To Nine and Definitely, Hamlet is not simply "reporting the news". He is inviting people to "reminisce here". Hamlet invites people to comment on his blog like that very often and he's doing it only for the web rankings that enable him to sell ads. And his blog is not the right place for Adric to be "reminisced". This is where I agree with Ann.

And yes, I am aware of the irony that commenting on his blog serves the exact purpose that Hamlet is looking for.

[II Singh]

Perfectly said, Astaroth....
I got nothing but ditto.

[Hamlet Au]

Jane2, the very first sentence of this post has a link to Adric's site. In my experience many readers of one blog prefer to stay on that blog when commenting, and I told John some NWN readers might be doing so in memory of Adric. But folks are definitely welcome to go to Adric's site and do so there. I say "reportedly" because I'm waiting to see the obituary John says he's writing for their local paper.

[Astaroth]

Lem Skall:

'And his blog is not the right place for Adric to be "reminisced" '

You don't get to decide this.

[Lem Skall]

Oh, but I do, Astaroth. I can decide whatever I want. Who are YOU to decide what I can decide and what I can't?

[Troy McConaghy]

The fact of the matter is that New World Notes is the de facto top blog about Second Life (and yes, it also covers other virtual worlds from time to time and that's fine), both in terms of page views and in terms of total quantity of reporting.

New World Notes is a bit like the New York Times of Second Life, if you will, and it's entirely appropriate for Hamlet to note the passing of prominent community members. He's done so many times before.

So, thank you Hamlet, for keeping it up all these years, despite the criticisms.

[Little Lost Linden]

I like the word 'de facto'. It rolls off the tongue nicely and I don't see it being used enough these days.

I am going to try to use the word 'de facto' in a blog post headline sometime very soon.

Sometimes, when I am bored and hungry, I often go into the kitchen, open the refrigerator, look inside, and then yell at the top of my lungs...De Facto!!!

[Von Johin]

So sad when our friends from the virtual world pass on in the physical world.

[Hypatia Callisto]

It's not "reportedly dead" it's really dead, with an obit.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/ourlives/article.aspx?subjectid=56&articleid=20100926_11_A19_hTULSA388673

Jennings, David Thomas, 41, information technology technician, died Monday. No local services planned. Serenity.

I'm offended, considering the overflowing uncritical sorrow over "Rheta Shan" on this blog.

[Hitomi Tiponi]

The passing away of a person in real life should remind us of what is really important. I hope he moved on with little pain, and hope that the pain felt by those who loved him passes soon.

[Astaroth]

"Oh, but I do, Astaroth. I can decide whatever I want. Who are YOU to decide what I can decide and what I can't?

Posted by: Lem Skall | Saturday, September 25, 2010 at 08:52 PM"

Someone much, much smarter than you.

[Ignatius Onomatopoeia]

I've always enjoyed Adric's snark and I'll miss his commentary.

The rage on display in this thread is childish. If you don't like Hamlet's reporting, move on. At least one of the most vicious and least elegant replies here comes from a person who vowed not to read NWN again.

Pity that promise was not kept.

[Hypatia Callisto]

I have nothing against Hamlet personally btw. I completely support his working for Avatar Reality and have no issues with his Blue Mars posts.

I have an issue with the way this was reported, in light of how other avatar deaths have been reported here. I think Hamlet let his personal feelings interfere with his reporting and that was unprofessional.

Your mileage may vary. Death is a very personal event that brings out high emotions in people. As it's clear that David was a real man who had real friends and really died IRL (of something that seems to be really close that nearly got me some years back - so I am actually in a position to have an idea of how it even "feels like") ... well it could have been done better.

Not taking back my feelings of being offended. I would like to see the post title changed to reflect the reality. Adric Antfarm is really gone, IRL and in SL, and he should be at least accorded the same respect given to someone who quite likely faked their SL death.

[Hamlet Au]

Hypatia, thanks for the obituary link, I am updating this post right now. Reporting the real life death of someone is a gravely serious issue, and I wanted to be cautious based on some past experiences.

[Hypatia Callisto]

Hamlet, thank you :)

[Lem Skall]

"If you don't like Hamlet's reporting, move on."

But I do like Hamlet's reporting. When he's just reporting.

[eddi haskell]

Let is simply be said that David Jennings aka Adric Antfarm was simply one of the finest people that Second Life has ever seen -- as a personal friend to those of us fortunate enough to have known him, a wit whose incisiveness cut right through the issue at hand with enormous humor, and a wonderful creative talent.

Adric was also very modest, and very loyal -- he hated seeing his friends attacked on the blogsphere. He, in short, was a great human being. I will miss him terribly.

[Sandor Balczo]

The above back-and-forth of insults to one another is enough explanation of the reason why the real world and the virtual world have become places I visit more rarely today, preferring to stay in the quiet safety of my own home until a stroke or other killer comes to get me.

You folks have lost any sense of decency, emptathy, respect and reason. I feel very sorry for you all. I feel sorry, not angry, because I know we should blame the current powers that be for making us the wrecks we have become.

Sandor

[Arcadia Codesmith]

Adric was a regular visitor to this blog, and he will be missed.

Rest well, David.

[Adric Antfarm]

John Boston here, and yes, I realize I am posting as Adric. I figured that would get more attention than posting as myself. I'm sitting here on Adric's computer, monitoring his incoming email for messages from concerned friends and loved ones, so I can tell them the sad news if needed.
To clarify, the cause of death is still undetermined. However, I knew David well, and his lifestyle was not a healthy one. He definitely did not take his own life, and his behavior in the hours and days leading up to his death does seem to indicate something was physically wrong with him. He'd fallen a couple of times, and when his body was found, his apartment door was unlocked...something he NEVER would have done had he not been in some sort of distress (pain, decaying mental capacity, etc.).
I'll alert everyone to the official cause of death via his blog, but that may take 3-6 months. We're waiting on toxicology results, and Oklahoma's medical examiner's office is in a state of disarray.
Lastly, to those of you who can't offer anything about this post other than your opinion that it shouldn't have been created, I have no idea what David would have said.
I know what Kurt Vonnegut would have said, though: "Got take a flying fuck at a rolling doughnut. Go take a flying fuck at the mooooon"!
Reminisce about David on his blog. Reminisce about him here. Grab a picture of him and some lube and reminisce about him in the bathroom if you like, but don't tell others how they should or should not remember him.
-John

[Ignatius Onomatopoeia]

Deal, John.

Adric was one of only TWO SLers crazy enough to take up the "Mad Max Challenge." I tossed the gauntlet down at my blog to have a road-rage rally through the Wastelands next month:

http://iggyo.blogspot.com/2010/09/mad-max-challenge-update.html

I've built my post-apoc hotrod. Now I'm going to name it the Adric Antfarm Apocalypse in David's honor.

He had a SWEET battle-car he was planning to run in the rally!

[Amalia Broome]

We will never know what Adric would have said in reply to this post. But I for one, am glad to see that he was as respected as he was. Stop fighting over the little stuff! Life is too short to let words/meanings/small stuff get to you. Learn from this...David/Adric was only 41 - he had so much to live for..to give..to write about and now he can't. So please! Argue in another post...

[Little Lost Linden]

I'm not supposed to tell anyone this, but Adric had a crush on Arabella Steadham. (not really)

Adric will missed, that is for certain.

[Hypatia Callisto]

John, that's highly consistent with what happened to me. It was your post on Adric's site that conjectured a stroke - so I was going from what you said.

I can tell you that I thought I was "ok" ... that I just had a cold. That's how it came on. Fever, congestion, pains in my abdomen - I thought I had the flu. I was in Paris on vacation visiting family, so I had previously endured a short flight from Germany. But the flight was too short to have gotten it on the plane, IMO. (Paris is only a short flight from Munich) Everyone else thought I had the flu too... but it was when it kept up for two weeks and was progressively getting worse in my lungs that my bf thought it was something else. Even my doc gave me two rounds of antibiotics and thought I was simply sick with a bad bug. 20/20 hindsight - should have forced him to send me in for an xray - I didn't have a lung infection. (later shown to be the case in hospital)

I shared my hospital room with an elderly lady (who was an MD ironically) who had a stroke. She was incoherent in her house, passed out, discovered by her grown son who came to check in on her that day. Couldn't speak for a week, when I came to the cardio ward (two weeks already into her stay), she was only just getting the ability to speak back and couldn't form certain sounds. At any rate, we had an interesting two weeks together and I learned a lot about the personal side of it from my fellow "inmates" :P I'm not an MD but I do have my personal experience with people who were in the hospital for this very thing. So it's entirely consistent that he would have been acting a little strange, but unfortunately the flu can have a similar effect and people often miss serious clues that it may be cardiovascular rather than infection.

At any rate, losing Adric at 41 should send a big signal that maybe a whole lot of us are all spending a little too much time at the computer. I know I am still on it far more than I should be, knowing that I am prone to blood clots in my legs. I know now I will be at it a lot less often now.

Cheers :)

Cheers to Adric, he was a great guy... sorry to hijack this post with my personal experience - I mean well by it though :P If it saves one person by reading it and being aware of the signs pointing towards a pulmonary/heart/lung issue... then it's been all for the good.

[Remington Soup]

I once posted on a weekend open forum, and Adric was the only one to reply, with a dismissive comment. I was feeling a little impertinent, and decided to challenge him. I peeked at his blog and noted his vitriol. I don't think I'm a troll, but I often like a bit of chutzpah in a comment thread. Granted, its not hard to find (see above), but frankly - at the risk of offending - it makes the thread more interesting to the reader.

Sure enough, he responded with a brash retaliation - to my delight. What touched me, though, was that even as he scolded my insinuations, he still managed to convey a sense of respect for my post.

I did not know Adric Antfarm, nor David Jennings, and this encounter I have just described was the only exchange we ever had. Still, when I read of has passing I am more saddened than I ought to be. I know that in whatever inconsequential way, my words entered his consciousness and affected a response, just as his did to me. That connection, no matter how seemingly trivial, is still a connection - and his passing marks the severance of that connection, and any other connections, confrontational or otherwise, that we might have had.

[Little Lost Linden]

De Facto!!!

[Jeremy Bolanos]

I just found out about David. We hadn't been close recently - but he was my first love - we met in the army and though rocky we were each other's first love. I'm in shock and miss him so much - I kept putting off getting to Tulsa to see him again - I feel his loss and will remember and love him forever.

[John Boston]

Just wanted to let everyone know the final death certificate for David finally came in last Saturday. Cause of death was listed as atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Read any article listing the known risk factors, such as body mass index, smoking, diet, cholesterol,lack of physical activity, etc., and I can assure you, David had them all. At least he knew this, and made preparations knowing he wasn't going to live to be 65. If he'd just had his will notarized, it sure would have saved me some trouble, but I'll get through all the paperwork.