GTA Fan Jerry Fort Dies Weeks Before GTA 6 Release

Jerry Fort, a 25-year-old GTA 6 fan who hoped to stream the game after its release, died on October 29 following an infection and complications from transplant surgery. His sister confirmed his death in a TikTok video posted November 2 on his account, Void Only.

Fort’s story had become a rallying point for the GTA 6 community in the months before launch, as supporters raised money to help him reach the game’s November 19 release date. His death, three weeks shy of that date, has prompted an outpouring of tributes from players who followed his battle with interstitial lung disease.

A Four-Minute Video Confirms the Loss

In the four-minute TikTok, Fort’s sister described her brother’s decades-long fight with the disease, which had left his lungs stiff and made breathing difficult since he was 17. She thanked the gaming community for rallying around him and said she had hoped he would live long enough to see GTA 6 launch.

Fort first drew wide attention in August, when he posted a video from his hospital bed captioned, “Rockstar and their delays, man.” The line went viral, turning a personal health update into a moment that resonated with fans who had waited years for the sequel.

A Dangerous Transplant and a Community Response

Fort had explained in an earlier TikTok that his lungs had attached to his chest wall, a complication doctors said made the transplant especially risky because they would need to separate and remove the lungs before replacing them. That update came shortly before a GoFundMe campaign to cover his surgery and recovery began gaining traction.

The fundraiser cleared its original goal around the time Rockstar aired its Extended Look trailer in late August, according to reporting on the campaign. Totals reported by outlets covering the story have varied, with some citing figures near $66,000 and others placing the final amount higher. Fort responded to the surge in support by promising to stream the game live on its release date.

Tributes Pour in Across Social Media

News of his death spread quickly once his sister’s video went up, with players posting condolences and calling for Rockstar to acknowledge him in some way once the game launches. One user on X wrote that the first cruise around the game’s fictional state, Leonida, would be “for him, and everyone else who didn’t make it.”

Another supporter had written earlier, “You WILL play GTA 6, I promise,” reflecting the optimism that surrounded Fort’s case through much of the fall. Players have since said they intend to play the game in his honor when it arrives, though Rockstar has not issued any public statement addressing the requests for a tribute.

Part of a Recurring Pattern Among Fans

Fort’s case is not the first of its kind this year. In January, the community rallied around another seriously ill fan hoping to experience the game before his death, a situation that drew similar attention and fundraising support.

Separately, a different terminally ill fan reportedly received early access to the game from Rockstar under a nondisclosure agreement after a family member shared his story, a distinct case that has circulated alongside Fort’s. Rockstar has not confirmed details of that arrangement publicly.

The details of Fort’s illness and death come primarily from his family and the fundraiser page; no hospital or physician has issued a public statement confirming the medical specifics. Rockstar continues preparing for the November 19 launch of the game on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, a release that arrives 13 years after the previous entry in the franchise and follows two delays. Recent marketing has included details on working public transit systems across the game’s map, along with a brief gameplay clip that aired during a South Park episode earlier this year.