All-

I just received word from YK's daughter.

He was out bicycling on Tuesday, riding on the shoulder of a state highway, when he was hit by a truck.

He died later that afternoon at a hospital.

Eight of us had the privilege of meeting this great guy back in 2004, but through the magic of the Internet, we all got to enjoy what a warm, dear, thoughtful and creative person he was.

I cannot speak for anyone but myself, but I feel the world is diminished without him. And this World all the more so.

Rest in peace, my friend.

Damn. Arthur was one of the best.

This is just terrible.

This is a sad day. Yellow Kid was among the most creative posters among our fandom, and I've posted with him for many, many years pre-dating Legion World. I've never met him, but there was a warmth about him that shined through in his words. I will miss him very much.

My condolences to his family. I'm sure this is a very hard time for them.

My God.

I'm just staring at my screen in shock. I'm numb. Art was one of the first to befriend me when I came online at the old DCMB's... he may've even invited me to the LMBP Yahoo group. Meeting him at WizardWorld Dallas was great, made all the more special in knowing I'll never have that chance again. I remember his laugh, his firm handshake, his warmth...

I'll miss you, Art.

wow. just speechless.

I never had the pleasure of meeting him in person and I did not have many personal interactions with him here, but there are two things that immediately stand out in my memory:

That he used the name of one of the very earliest comics characters, Outcault's Yellow Kid, as his monicker showed an appreciation for the history of the medium that I've encountered in few people.

And that Bob, the Gay Green Giant, was such a positive character. What could have easily been a collection of silly stereotypes, became a fully-realized part of our lore.

My thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.

This reminds that we've been fortunate as a rather long lived community.

My prayers to his family and the driver, who must feel horrible to be a part of this tragedy.

R.I.P.

My God, this news has just floored me.

I hadn't known YK for as long as many of you, but had the pleasure of collaborating closely with him during the last LMBP role-play. He was an incredibly talented fellow, and this community will be poorer for his loss.

Today, the Primary Color Gang has gone to Black.

Rest in Peace, Art.

Such sad news.

Damn! That's a blow to his family, and loss to this community.

I'm actually in shock right now. This is horrible...just horrible.

Art was a really great guy, a fun person to interact with and one of the most positive and fun people I've had the pleasure to interact with online. Like Pov, Lardy and some others, I've been talking to him online since 2001. I remember specifically going out of my way to help find him and bring him to Legion World when I registered here.

He always had an optimistic word to say about the Legion and its future. He'll be sorely missed.

One of his best friends online was a poster named Blackout from several years and boards ago. Blackout passed away and Art always missed him greatly. I'm so saddened by this news that I can only hope one small silver lining is Art is in a better place and he is reuniting with Blackout now.

Rest in Peace Art. My thoughts and prayers are out to your family.

Oh God, I'm sorry to hear that. But, I can't think of anything to say that doesn't sound like a cliche other than, well, at least he's not in any more pain.

To be struck down, literally, and then to be taken from your family and friends and associations.... This is very tragic, and I can only pray that as Art rode his bike he was in a place that he loved to ride in and that he had seen something beautiful along the way.

I am thankful that his daughter was brave and thoughtful enough to get hold of Kent so that through him we could all share in this sad news. If she had not had the presence of mind to notify Kent, we might never have known of the loss of our friend. Art's daughter obviously picked up a lot of his character and humanity and no doubt he loved her very much and was very proud of her.

Scott and I add our prayers for Art and his family to all the rest of your prayers and thoughts. The emotional toll of his sudden loss is going to be very hard on Art's family and friends for a long, long time to come. R.I.P

YK was an awesome, funny, generous all-around nice guy. Rest in peace man.

Oh geez. He'll be missed so much. R.I.P.

I just talked to Scott and he no longer has internet access at work, so he wanted me to post this note asking if Kent or anyone knows anything about arrangements yet, and if anyone has any idea if Art's family needs or would accept donations from his friends? Even the most simple arrangements are going to be a lot of money and we'd like to help if we can.

I was going to wait for the obit, rather than bug the family, but that is a beautiful thought.

I'll send a message and see.

Terrible news. A horrible, unexpected loss for his family and friends.

Such sad news. My thoughts go out to his friends and family

What? I didn't know he was sick. Damn.

Let me know if I can do anything. YK was a stand up guy.

Okay, just saw the first of the thread. This just...well...

Oh man...
My heartfelt condolences to his family.

Wow. I just.... wow.

He was such a nice guy-- so sweet and thoughtful. Always laughing and wanting to help if possible. I never got to meet him in person but he just had that kind of aura, you know?

This is devastating. Sending good thoughts to his family but... wow. I just can't believe it. He was only fifty. It really isn't fair.

May he rest in peace.

I have to admit that I didn't really know Art as much more than a regular poster who'd been here forever. We never interacted on an individual level. However, I'm an avid cyclist myself and about ten years ago the father of an old friend died under similar circumstances. It saddens me deeply that another family has to suffer through that pain.

Oh, God. I'm in shock right now. Like Director Lad, I didn't know him as well as some, but I'm so used to him being around.

R.I.P

I am one of the lucky ones here who got to meet Art in person. This news deeply saddens me.

Kent, please let me know when we can help with things.

WTF?!?!?!

Damnit all! This is the second time within a month that a motorist-cyclist encounter has taken away somebody I can only wish to have known a lot better.

Awful. Just awful. So very sad for everyone that really had the privilege of knowing YK, either online or off. I'm so sorry.

damn damn damn

(Excuse me for cutting out with only one post. I'll feel funnier tomorrow. I promise.)

My thoughts are with his family today.

There was a link to a local news story about the accident.

News story

I registered and made this comment
Ardie was a member of a message board with me. Everyone on the board is saddened by the loss of our Yellow Kid (Ardie's screen name) He will be missed so much.

All our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.

*saddened by the news with a lot of tears filling up* speechless to say anything.

Farewell, Yellow Kid, you will be missed greatly.

I'm just in shock, I don't know what to say...

R.I.P Art. (Yellow Kid, Gay Green Giant, MicroMax, etc) You will be sorely missed!

I feel so fortunate to have had the chance to meet and spend time with Art in Texas a few years back. He always had a twinkle in his eye, a boundless sense of fun, and a very self-evident love for his family and pride in his children.

What a terrible loss for his family, for Legion World, and for all the other people that he touched over the course of his life.

Rest in peace.

This is awful news. On top of some stories I've been editing at work this week, it's been an awful time on the roads lately, no matter how you get along.

Like so many others, I only knew him by his posts, and I never really participated in the roleplay, so I know him even less, but this is horribly sad news.

50 is so young, even though the Legion thought it was 'geriatric'.

I pray for his family and his friends, for comfort with their pain and grief.
He was such a nice person.

Ardie was one of the people who made Legion World a community. Even though he'd been around for years, I feel I only got to really know him in recent months, due to his posting on the political threads and others. Ardie revealed a bit of his own life in such posts, and I felt closer to him because of his candor.

My heart goes out to his family and friends. They--and we--have lost a great guy.

This is just awful! I was one of the lucky few who met him back at the first 'mass' meeting in Dallas. He and I were the only smokers so we would hang outside and smoke and talk a bit and he really struck me as a fun-loving easygoing guy. Tall and thin with longish hair, a Legion fan extraordinaire...

I'm really in a state of disbelief...

That's so sad. My condolences to his family. 8-(

Dang. I only knew him as a poster here, but he obviously had a real passion about the Legion and other areas. My prayers for comfort for his family and friends.

Art\'s Primary Color Gang - one version, at least.

He was a wit, a kind heart, and a true gentleman.

My condolences to his family and friends.

I've heard back from his daughter. They are managing with the arrangements, and she will get back to me on other details. She said any of us who wanted to attend would be more than welcome.

Kent, do you have the name of the funeral home? I was thinking of sending flowers from Legion World.

And not that I'd be going, but when are the services?

I do not have details yet, from Art's daughter or any of the obits I've been watching.

She promised to let me know.

Though I never had a direct exchange on here with Yellow Kid,he seemed like a nice guy who cared about the Legion and his fellow posters,

My prayers also go out to his family and friends.

I wasn't privileged to know Yellow Kid other than through the aoccasional on-line posting, but I do recall that he seemed to be a decent and thoughtful fellow.

My sincerest condolences to his friends and family.

I know I'm not here all that often but I'd just now found out..I spent te entire time staring at the screen in disbeleif. Art was one of the people I'd been hoping to meet at comic con or any of the other places that we would have met up at. He , more than anyone, was the one person I talked to the most in regards to my art and just the fandom in general...I just don't really have anywords I really don't.

I'm gonna miss you man, and my wishes and best to your family.

I really never wanted to fill in the [previously] blank rocket...hoped I never would.

Real life never works out that way, unfortunately.

R.I.P. Yellow Kid. You are sorely missed.

Wonderful tribute to all of our dearly departed members, Gary!

Very nice, Nightcrawler. This is such sad news.

Funeral is Tuesday, 2 pm at Oak Park Church of God, Shawnee, OK.

no other details yet.

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&a...&cid=10785361259430649721&li=lmd

Kent, thanks to you for keeping this community informed. It's not an easy service to provide but I know we are all grateful.

I'm also struck once again that we should let people know how much we value them when they are still alive. I only "knew" Yellow Kid as an awesome poster at LW, and I'm sure I could have told him more often how awesome he was.

Just stunned and saddened.

My condolences to everyone who knew him.

The Shangalla tribute is super, Gary!

I was thinking of the Jan Arrah dying issue in 5YL, where as his life is fading, his spirit goes and says goodbye to all his friends. I'd like to think that Yellow Kid dropped in here like that to say goodbye to Legion World.

That is something YK would do.

And needless to say, but I'll say it anyway, the Shangalla tribute is beautiful.

Ant cracked me up (as opposed to busting up my stuff, unlike some other nameless poster) so I was very glad when he got his Yellow butt* on over here to LW.

This post makes me laugh thinking about it, just his sweet and funny way with words, I suppose!


*you know what I mean

That's terrible news. RIP, Yellow Kid.

Arrived here after many months away and saw this. It has come as such a shock to sit here and realise that that I’ll never have another chance to talk to Art again. Like cobalt has said elsewhere, I knew Yellow Kid from the days before the LMBP found Legion World and we had laughed, joked and carried on having loads of fun in this little self made universe of ours. And now he’s gone. Taken away from us by one person’s moment of carelessness.
It has made me realise just how fleeting our time is and how swiftly we can be taken away from those we love.
My thoughts and condolences go out to his family, and also to you guys here on Legion World who are missing a friend.

Times like this I am so glad to have met as many of you in person as I have. Indeed just like the time spent talking to Art on line, you have immeasurably enriched my life and I am so happy to have met you all.

just wanted to add my condolences to Art's family and friends, this is terrible news to hear !

dear Yellow Kid may you rest in peace .....

Matthew.

we love you, artie!

Happy Birthday in Heaven, my friend. I'm so thankful I got to meet you here on Earth and hope to see you again one day...

Peace. Love, Brian.

Happy birthday, Artie.

I have not been around in a while, so I missed this. I'm saddened by the loss of another on-line friend. Taken too soon.

Rest well buddy...and hope you had a good Birthday up there.

I keep seeing this thread but have been too scared to read it until now. I liked YK- he was fun, interesting and I always enjoyed reading what he had to say. My heart goes out to his family and loved ones.

I just learned this. May he rest in peace.

"Death makes angels of us all and gives us wings where we had shoulders smooth as ravens' claws"--James Douglas Morrison

I still find it very odd and disconcerting to thumb through some old pages on a good long thread and see his responses.

We always had interesting or informative conversations.

I know what you mean.

Every once in awhile I'll come across a post I haven't read before, or had forgotten, and it's like he's still posting.

We had been sharing some PMs on a roleplay a few months before he passed and I hadn't deleted any of those PMs yet. So it was weird to go through my PMs, which I usually do every so often, and see them there.

Since he joined the LMB in the old pre-LW days when I was absent, I had missed a lot of his first interactions. I returned soon after and we became friends. Years later when he came back to the LMB and now LW, I had created all these fake storylines for the Primary Color Gang during that time period in the LMB History thread an he then helped flesh a lot of that out. I'm glad that the history thread is there, even if it probably will take me some time before I ever update it again, because I'm glad I've got it all down 'on paper' on how intrical Art was to the group over the years.