Michael “KiXSTAr” Stockley was a well-known streamer and shoutcaster of Rainbow Six Siege. In October, he tragically passed away during a car ride. Out of respect for the player, the organizers postponed the start of the eSports season. They have now also erected a memorial for him in the game.
Who was KiXSTAr? Michael Stockley was a well-known professional player and shoutcaster of Rainbow Six Siege. He competed in his first tournaments in 2016 in the first season of the Pro League. His greatest successes are:
- The victory in the Pro League North America in season 1 and 2
- The second place in the grand finals of all regions in season 2
In 2017, he switched sides and began a career as a commentator. He accompanied tournaments live and provided either descriptions of the events or analyses and insights into the matches. He commented on matches in the Pro League and the Rainbow Six Invitationals in 2020 and 2021, among others.
In 2020, he even won an award as Esports Colour Caster of the Year.
During his career as a caster, he was supported by his family. He spent the last 20 months of his life at home with his parents due to Corona, from where he also streamed and commented on some games.
How did he die? On October 11, KiXSTAr unexpectedly passed away. His former casting partner Parker “Interno” Mackay shared a message from the family on Twitter. It says:
Michael died while doing what he loved second most in the world: driving. He was alone and no one else was injured or involved.
Via Twitter
The community reacted in shock to the news of the caster’s death. A game designer from Rainbow Six Siege called Stockley one of the brightest minds of the game. Without him, Siege will never be the same again.
Especially tragic is that Stockley was supposed to comment on the Pro League in the shooter on the day the news of his death was announced. The developers subsequently postponed the start of the league.
Developers honor KiXSTAr with a memorial in the game
What has happened now? The developers of Rainbow Six Siege have built a memorial for the caster in the game, as can be seen in this screenshot shared by the Esports Director of Ubisoft on Twitter:
The memorial is located at the spot where KiXSTAr had a special moment as a professional. He managed to take out his five opponents solo – and that in just 8 seconds.
This special moment was recorded by the shoutcaster himself and published in a video on YouTube:
His shoutcaster colleague Interro gave an interview to the BBC about the memorial (via BBC). There, he mentioned that KiXSTAr and he were initially just colleagues, but a friendship developed later and he even saw him as a kind of brother.
He also stated that the plaque is an appropriate tribute to Stockley, whose legacy speaks for itself.
Ubisoft is not the only developer that has created a memorial for a deceased player. In 2020, james999dylan, a well-known PvP player from ESO, also received a memorial in the game:
ESO: Hundreds mourned the death of a player, now he has a memorial
