When I first came across Coach Red Pill, I didn’t like him. He seemed like a con man trying to cash in on a trending topic—“the Red Pill”—which was gaining popularity back in the day. But as he grew on YouTube, his videos kept popping up in my recommendations, and eventually, I gave him a second chance.

Somehow, he grew on me. With each video I watched, I found myself liking him more. Even when I disagreed with him, there was usually something valuable—or at least entertaining—to take away.

When I heard he died in Ukraine, it felt strange. I’d never met him, and he had no idea who I was. Still, it felt like losing a friend. I had spent more time watching his videos and listening to his thoughts than with actual real life friends. Until his death was officially confirmed, I kept hoping it was just another internet hoax. People will say anything to go viral these days, so maybe—just maybe—someone had reported his death without checking the facts.

But sadly, it was true. Coach Red Pill (Gonzalo Lira) is gone.

He once talked about his kids. He had them later in life and was afraid he wouldn’t be around long enough to give them the life advice he wanted to share. That was one of the reasons he started making videos: so his advice would be there for his children when they needed it.

And in that, he succeeded.

His content is still available—for example, here at the CRP Archive, where you can find 436 of his videos.

Imagine his kids knowing that, in a way, their dad is still around. Of course, they’d rather have him back for real. But having him live on as a sort of digital version is as close as you can get once someone is gone.

I’d love to do the same. When I die, I want to leave behind thousands of articles, hundreds of videos, and dozens of books. I want family, friends, and everyone else to be able to look me up whenever they want—to learn from my mistakes, my successes, and my ideas, to get inspired, to laugh, and to think.

RIP Gonzalo Lira.