Ben Potter, a.k.a. Comicstorian, has died.
In a statement shared to social media on Monday, Nathalie Potter, Ben’s wife, announced that her husband, age 40, had died "in an unfortunate accident" two days earlier on June 8.
"To many of you, he was Comicstorian, voicing stories from across multiple different mediums. To his loved ones, he was one of the best and most supportive individuals anyone could ask for," Nathalie said. "As a husband, a son, a brother, a friend, or even just a stranger, Ben was loving and genuine. He was someone who would listen and make time for his loved ones. He would do his best to make everyone laugh and make sure they were okay. He was our rock and he'd reassure his loved ones whenever they needed it."
Through the Comicstorian channel, Ben had amassed more than three million followers from around 4,000 videos. "Why DC’s Reboots Beat Marvel," his most recent Comicstorian upload, was shared on June 7, just one day before his death. The same day, Ben also shared a video breaking down the history of teddy bears on one of his other channels, Benny Has a Proble.
View this video on YouTube
View this video on YouTube
Ben also ran a separate manga-focused channel, Mangastorian, and a gaming channel. His prolific creativity was further evidenced through the Dawn of Comicstorian Patreon, to which he had shared more than 1,700 updates for nearly 2,000 members.
"Ben spent over 10 years spreading his love and appreciation for his hobbies," Nathalie wrote on Monday. "It was through his love of exciting stories and well written characters that got him started on YouTube. The team and I want to keep that going. To honor him by continuing to tell great stories by great people, as well as to keep the memory of our very own superhero alive."
Additional details on Ben’s death were not made immediately made public. For now, Nathalie said, she has no plans beyond "preserving everything he’s built."
Tribute messages shared after news of Comicstorian's shocking death pointed to key parts of his legacy, namely that his repeatedly proven love and respect for the artistic process inspired others to see the world the same way.
"I’m heartbroken to hear this news," O'Shea Jackson Jr. said of the news. "One of my favorite follows on YouTube. Thank you so much for your work, man. I was a huge fan."
See more tributes below.
RIP.
