Rooster Teeth Productions, creator of the hit Halo web series Red vs. Blue, announced today that famed animator Monty Oum passed away yesterday at the age of 33.
According to Rooster Teeth CEO Matt Hullum, Oum lapsed into a coma following a “severe allergic reaction during a routine medical procedure.” Upon being informed of the situation over the weekend, members of the Rooster Teeth community helped raise over $100,000 in support of Monty and his family.
Unfortunately, Oum was unable to recover and passed away on February 1, 2015.
Here is the official statement:
Our friend, inspiration and co-worker Monty Oum passed away yesterday afternoon at 4:34 PM surrounded by people who loved him very much. Ten days ago Monty suffered a severe allergic reaction during a simple medical procedure that left him in a coma. Although he fought bravely, his body was not able to recover. During his time in the hospital he was well cared for and never in pain at any time.
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.
Your generosity during the hours after the public statement on Friday will help his family deal with the costs of his care and his passing. You made an incredible difference during a difficult time and we cannot thank you enough.
As for honoring Monty, we will do that in our own way. In lieu of flowers or gifts, we ask that you simply do something creative. Use your imagination to make the world a better place in any way that you can. If you know Monty like we do, then you know he would certainly be doing that if he were able to.
Monty was 33 years old.
We love you, Monty
Oum’s first claim to prominence within the gaming community came in 2007 with the release of his animated fan film Haloid, which pitted Halo’s Master Chief against Metroid’s Samus Aran.
Following a brief stint as an animator and combat designer for Namco Bandai’s Afro Samurai video game in 2008, Oum joined Rooster Teeth in late 2009 to work on animated fight sequences for the eighth season of Red vs. Blue. Following the completion of Red vs. Blue Season 10 in 2012, it was announced that Oum would be directing his own animated web series titled RWBY.
To date, two volumes of RWBY have been produced, with a third having been planned and in development.