I didn't know Ryan Davis personally. I never met him. I never talked to him or chatted with him. Yet, when the news of his passing was made public on Twitter early on the afternoon of July 8, I was profoundly shaken and saddened. It was as if someone had punched me in the gut. Hard.

It felt as if I had lost a dear friend I had known for many years.

I became a member of the GameSpot community back in 2002. I discovered Ryan while watching On The Spot and enjoyed his shenanigans with Jeff, Rich and the entire crew. The TimeTrotters series, although short lived, was some of the funniest stuff I've ever watched. When Jeff got ousted from GameSpot and founded Giant Bomb along with Ryan, I was sure to follow their antics.

One thing I will never forget about Ryan is his bellowing laugh. Some Quick Looks he did, especially the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince one (which is my favorite of all time), are absolutely hilarious. The chemistry and camaraderie he had with Jeff is something you don't see every day, and was genuine and true. I cannot even imagine how he feels right now.

In fact, all of this is hard to comprehend or wrap my head around. The man had just gotten married a couple of days before his passing and, from the snapshots I saw from the event, he looked so very happy. I feel profound sadness for his Giant Bomb colleagues Brad, Vinny, Drew, Alex, Patrick and, of course, Jeff. In fact, I feel profound sadness for those who knew the man, either very closely or only via video or podcasts. His laughter, his joie de vivre, his smile, all of it will be sorely missed.

Thank you Ryan, and may you rest in peace. Take care buddy.