Rooster Teeth animator Monty Oum has passed away, the production studio announced today. The 33-year-old was hospitalized over the weekend for "a severe allergic reaction during a simple medical procedure" that put him in a coma. When the news first hit, fans raised nearly $180,000 for him. as Patrick Klepek said.
Oum was best known for RWBY, a web-based anime series created, written, and produced by him. RWBY produced two seasons, though a third season was planned and in development.
Monty is survived by his wife Sheena, his father Mony, his brothers Woody, Sey, Chivy and Neat, and his sisters Thea and Theary, as well as a countless number of fans and friends. We were so proud to be a part of his life and we will miss him greatly.
Monty is survived by his wife Sheena, his father Mony, his brothers Woody, Sey, Chivy and Neat, and his sisters Thea and Theary, as well as a countless number of fans and friends. We were so proud to be a part of his life and we will miss him greatly.
Erik Pedersen reports, News of his death spread quickly across the online-video world and social media, spawning a series of tributes and memorials on YouTube and elsewhere. On Twitter, many reposted some of his previous posts, including: “RT @montyoum: Guys… Life… it’s pretty awesome. Just keep at it. And I’ll keep going too.” and the painfully prescient “RT @montyoum: Reminder that we should cherish those close to us and not wait til they’re gone to appreciate them.”still on his report, On DeviantArt.com, where Oum had been been a member for 11 years, sharing his art concepts for characters such as the recent post he left here, dozens of people left RIP comments in his memory, mentioning how much his work had affected them.
Oum began his animation career by creating Haloid, a showdown between characters from the video games franchises Halo and Metroid. That led to a job as a combat designer at Midway Games. After a stint at Namco Bandai Games, where he worked on the vidgame Afro Samurai, Oum joined Internet production house Rooster Teeth as character animator and choreographer.
In 2012, he created, directed and was lead animator for RWBY. Last year, the show won Streamy and International Academy of Web Television awards for best animated series.
Oum once wrote in a Facebook post, “Fun fact: I try to make sure all my characters are designed with pockets/pouches so cosplayers will have places to put their phones/wallets.”
Oum was best known as the creator of the animated series RWBY, which follows a team of heroes who use an element called “Dust” to battle supernatural forces. The first episode has nearly 4 million views on YouTube.
