Jerry Fort, a terminally-ill 25-year-old who went viral for his wish to play GTA 6, dies of lung disease just days before the game's release

A terminally-ill Grand Theft Auto (GTA) fan has died just weeks before the launch of the game's much-awaited sixth edition. Jerry Fort, known online as Void Only, had made a viral TikTok video in August revealing that he had been hospitalized due to an interstitial lung disease and was in need of a lung transplant. He had been battling the lung disease for eight years, since he was a 17-year-old, according to Dexerto.

Fort died last week

In the same post, Fort had shared that he just wanted to play GTA 6, poking fun at its developer, Rockstar Games, for the many delays in the game's release. The post went viral and fellow GTA lovers rallied around Fort and rooted for him to keep going until the release of GTA 6.


His mother, Paris Fort, had set up a GoFundMe page for Fort's transplant and other medical needs, with supporters donating $50,000 in a matter of days. In September, Fort got the lung transplant, but complications linked to it eventually caused him to lose function of his body.

Fort's sister confirmed via his social media accounts that he passed away on October 29, after suffering complications arising from the transplant. She also expressed gratitude to all the people who tried to help and support her brother.

The news has come just weeks ahead of GTA 6's official release on November 19. Fort had planned to stream the game with his community once it came out.

GTA fans remember Fort

Commenting on her post, fans expressed sadness over Fort not being able to play the game he had been waiting so long for. "I was really rooting for him. I'm sorry for your loss," one person wrote.

"I'm adding Void to my gamertag in his honor when GTA releases," another commented.

In announcing his death, Fort's family thanked supporters for helping make his final months memorable. "He was so happy. He felt like his dreams were coming true, and he wanted to give back like y’all gave to him."

Besides his wish to play GTA 6, Fort had also hoped to share his music with more people. "All he wanted was to push his music out and to be known and for people to hear his voice," the family said, according to Dexerto.

GTA 6 release

GTA 6 is set to finally release on Thursday (November 19) after more than a decade of wait, marked by multiple delays by Rockstar. The game will first be made available to PlayStation and Xbox users.