YouTube star Ben Potter has died aged 40 “in an unfortunate accident,” his wife has announced.
She said Potter, an American comic book creator known as Comicstorian, died on Saturday.
He had a YouTube following of more than three million subscribers.
Nathalie Potter, his wife, wrote on X: “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.
“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.”
Calling him “my world”, she said she needed time to figure things out and grieve, as well preserving his legacy of work.
“His channel was one of his greatest accomplishments, and while we all need our time to mourn him, I know he wouldn’t want it to end like this,” she added.
“Ben spent over 10 years spreading his love and appreciation for his hobbies. 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.
“We supported each other on everything we wanted to do and I’m not about to stop now.”
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Fellow content creators were quick to pay tribute, aspiring writer RebelOfReality wrote: “Oh my God, this guy literally made my childhood”.
WWE host Greg Miller wrote: “I’m so sorry, Nathalie. Ben was a great one,” while movie and TV YouTube channel Heavy Spoilers wrote: “Incredibly heartbreaking.
“Comicstorian was an absolutely incredible YouTuber that pioneered so much and got so many people into reading comics. Devastating news. Rest in peace.”