RIP "Triforce Mike" Pandel

[Nonamer]

I should be sleeping, but this is too important not to post.

As many of you know, Nerdy Show is a show about comics, video games, movies, and other nerdy stuff. They frequently play OCR songs and pimp out the latest albums (their Pokemon RPG, Balls of Steelix, use several tracks from the Missingno album). It is also considered the unofficial sister podcast to Overclocked After Dark.

Recently, Hex announced that Michael Pandel, aka Triforce Mike, was severely injured when he was hit by a car while riding his bike. I'll let Hex say the rest:

Mike is in a coma on life support. He's been unconscious since he was hit. He sped through an intersection when he shouldn't have and it wasn't a hit and run. His head trauma is so serious that the neurosurgeons won't operate. His brainstem has been damaged, and is body is shutting down and he's being kept alive via life support. He's alive as long as we need to say goodbye. No word about a funeral yet. His biological family is here. His family of friends is here, you guys are here, and we're all in this together. I'll post more as it comes. I think I speak for all of us when I say that this is unreal... Well... It is. We've been a family to him, with him, and now we have each other.

Here is the main thread on the Nerdy Show forums: http://www.nerdyshow.com/forums/topic.php?id=1332

There is also a planned tribute episode. If anyone wants to submit an audio clip of their condolences they can do so here: http://www.nerdyshow.com/forums/topic.php?id=1334

A sad day in the world of fan-dom...

EDIT: There is a planned tribute album by Dj RoboRob, with proceeds going to the family. More info here: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=309490279102096&id=109251422459317&__user=1081114818

[Brandon Strader]

They've been saying R.I.P. for hours and he's not even dead yet. No matter how hopeless a situation seems, have some faith... at the very least hold off on the funeral planning just yet.

But yeah, very sad. Makes me appreciate my dad a little more, who constantly yelled at me while I was driving until I always obeyed the rules of the road until it became second nature. Should be a stark reminder to everyone, wear your seatbelt, wear a helmet, look both ways, be considerate and patient, etc. Do it for your family and friends who love you and will miss you.

[Level 99]

They need to start planning arrangements for this because people are coming in from all over the country. Even though we were, and some are still, hoping for something to improve, it says something when even neurosurgeons won't operate due to the severity of an injury. At a certain point one has to start coping with the grief and loss in a situation like this even if they're not technically passed on yet.

Nerdy Show definitely is the brother/sister/whatevercloseness podcast to OCAD. I consider all of those guys to be very close friends. Hex, Cap, Mike, all of them are my brothers. Mike's accident has hit me so hard it is hard to come to terms with what has happened.

The outpouring of community support and love for Mike, ranging from his closest family and friends to people who he had never met and only was known through his show or his work, has been astounding. Thus far, I've seen pictures, comics, Minecraft structures, songs, all of these tributes to him and his life.

For anyone who didn't know him, I encourage you to listen to Nerdy Show's past episodes just to get the briefest glimpse of the spark of life he had in him. You can hear it in his voice, in everything he says. For those who did know him, they know that the best way to remember him is to celebrate him in the same way he celebrated every day he lived.

[Mirby]

They've been saying R.I.P. for hours and he's not even dead yet. No matter how hopeless a situation seems, have some faith... at the very least hold off on the funeral planning just yet.

But yeah, very sad. Makes me appreciate my dad a little more, who constantly yelled at me while I was driving until I always obeyed the rules of the road until it became second nature. Should be a stark reminder to everyone, wear your seatbelt, wear a helmet, look both ways, be considerate and patient, etc. Do it for your family and friends who love you and will miss you.

His brain stem is damaged. That's a very VERY severe injury, one that pretty much can only be remedied by a miracle at this point. And, as Stevo pointed out, neurosurgeons don't even wanna touch it.

It's bad.

And while I may not be that familiar with him, it doesn't change the fact that this accident is tragic, and does touch quite a few members of the community.

What I want to know is... do we know who did it, or is it a hit & run?

[Level 99]

His brain stem is damaged. That's a very VERY severe injury, one that pretty much can only be remedied by a miracle at this point. And, as Stevo pointed out, neurosurgeons don't even wanna touch it.

It's bad.

And while I may not be that familiar with him, it doesn't change the fact that this accident is tragic, and does touch quite a few members of the community.

What I want to know is... do we know who did it, or is it a hit & run?

The full story is on both Nerdy Show's Facebook and Forums. It was not a hit and run, and Mike was completely at fault. He charged into an intersection when he shouldn't have. Its also in the first post of the thread.

[Zerothemaster]

His brain stem is damaged. That's a very VERY severe injury, one that pretty much can only be remedied by a miracle at this point. And, as Stevo pointed out, neurosurgeons don't even wanna touch it.

It's bad.

And while I may not be that familiar with him, it doesn't change the fact that this accident is tragic, and does touch quite a few members of the community.

What I want to know is... do we know who did it, or is it a hit & run?

He sped through an intersection when he shouldn't have and it wasn't a hit and run.

Though I really don't know anything about him, this is still terrible. I shall be praying. if you care

[Mirby]

Ah, well I completely missed that.

Condolences to all linked to him (which is quite a few people).

[Antonio Pizza]

Though I really don't know anything about him, this is still terrible. I shall be praying. if you care[//COLOR]

Ditto that. Praying also.

and yes, I care, as I'm sure his family would also.

[psychowolf]

My prayers are with the family and friends during this difficult time.

[Crulex]

My prayers will be with him and his loved ones during this ordeal.

[Less Ashamed Of Self]

Very very sad about this. I listen to the fanfic readings with Nerdy Show and OCAD quite often and still laugh a lot. He was a VERY funny guy.

[Ramaniscence]

We just got back from the memorial celebration not too long ago. It was pretty great. His mom had some really excellent things to say.

Almost none of you guys here on OCR had really known him at all. If you get a chance, and haven't already, check out some of the OCAD/Nerdy Show cross over shows. Mike is truly someone who needed to be...experienced.

I met him a few times in person; doing radio shows and what not. To say he was an incredibly spirited guy would be a drastic understatement. He was a really upbeat and funny guy, really nice really...affectionate. Never the one to be out done in nudity, that's for sure.

I'm really a bit in denial still that he's actually gone. It feels more like he just left town rather than...well ya'know. The memorial had so many people from all the lives he had touched. Everyone did their best to put on a smile and celebrate his life, but there were some really heavy moments.

For you guys that never got a chance to meet him in person I leave you with this:

!

This video is a Nerdy Show tribute to Mike that has a lot of pictures that really help you understand his personality

AND

http://retrolowfi.tumblr.com/post/16798697381/my-friend-from-nerdy-show-triforce-mike-is-one

This is a song by local Orlando nerd-pop artist Marc with a C that echos a story anyone who knew Mike personally can understand.

I'm truly sorry none of you had a chance to make it out to Nerdapalooza before he had passed. He really would've left an impression on your lives.

[Rexy]

While I'm not too familiar with everything that Nerdy Show had on offer, I did however check some of the OCAD/NS crossover episodes. The first thing I did when I heard the news was re-played their reading of the original "A Tale of Two Minecrafts" in OCAD episode 71; and even in feeling the loss it still cracked me up a lot.

Either way, rest in peace Mike. My condolences go out to Cap, Hex, his family and his other friends.

[Level 99]

The memorial night was both wonderful and heartrending. There were people singing songs, lots of pictures and drawings of Mike around, people going up to the mic and telling stories. The place where it was held was so full that there were more people outside the front than in the store itself, and the thing was livestreamed with so many people trying to watch that they hit the user limit very early in the night. I did my best to go up there and say a few words because Mike was the kind of guy who, if you only met him for two minutes, you still remembered for the rest of your life.

I feel like Doug does. It doesn't feel like he is gone, just that he is away on a trip. The things he did that were captured on audio and video barely show a glimpse of the kind of vigor he had, but its through those that people who never got to meet him will know why everyone who did is so emotional.