On Friday, June 19, 2020, the “Bilbo Baggins” actor Ian Holm passed away. To pay tribute to him, dozens of players gathered in Lord of the Rings Online and recreated Bilbo’s last journey to Rivendell, among other things, or performed songs for him.
Who was Ian Holm? Sir Ian Holm Cuthbert was an actor from the United Kingdom. His most well-known role was that of Bilbo Baggins in the legendary “Lord of the Rings” film trilogy by Peter Jackson, based on the books by J.R.R. Tolkien.
In his role as Bilbo, he is a childhood hero and an iconic character for many fans of “Lord of the Rings,” who shaped their past.
Holm passed away on Friday, June 19, 2020, in London. According to Wikipedia, he had been suffering from Parkinson’s for several years prior. He was 88 years old. The title image shows him in his role as Bilbo Baggins in “The Lord of the Rings” and is from Filmstarts.de.
Players visit Bilbo, LOTRO hosts event
This is how players pay tribute: In the MMORPG Lord of the Rings Online, which is based on the famous story, several players gathered after the news of Holm’s death to pay their last respects.
Dozens have gathered in Hobbiton, Bilbo’s old home. A video shows them gathering around the fireplace of the small house, listening to a dwarven bard sing. Afterwards, they celebrate in Hobbiton with fireworks:
On Twitter, other users shared how they gathered in or around Hobbiton to wish Holm a “good journey to the West” with songs. Similarly emotional, players in the MMORPG ESO honored a deceased fellow player and even helped to create a monument for him.
Some other players even made the journey in honor of Bilbo. About 300 players apparently spontaneously traveled from Hobbiton to Rivendell, where in LOTRO today the NPC Bilbo Baggins can still be met. Bilbo embarks on this journey in the first film “The Fellowship of the Ring” and is met there by the Fellowship of the Ring in the third part “The Return of the King”.
In the corresponding thread on reddit, fans wish Ian Holm a good journey and express their emotions about the action that took place so spontaneously:
This is what the developers are doing: Shortly after the news of Holm’s death, the developers launched an event in his honor (via Twitter). Until June 23, players can still celebrate “Baggins’ Birthday.” Many fans support this action.
Previously, other studios have honored deceased icons. After the death of comic guru Stan Lee (Marvel), for example, he received his own NPC in World of Warcraft.
Meanwhile, the developers of Mordhau have set up a grave with a tombstone and hat for the deceased YouTuber TotalBiscuit. In both cases, however, the connection of the deceased to the game is not as significant as it currently is in Lord of the Rings Online. Holm’s role as Bilbo Baggins will certainly remain a strong childhood memory for many players for a long time.
