Jerry Fort, a 25-year-old gaming enthusiast known online as Void Only, had only one wish: to live long enough to play Grand Theft Auto VI. After battling a lung disease for eight years, he died on 29 October, just weeks after undergoing a lung transplant.
“He was so happy. He felt like his dreams were coming true, and he wanted to give back as y’all gave to him,” his mother, Paris Fort, said in a video announcing his death, shared on his TikTok account on 2 November.
Fort had been diagnosed with interstitial lung disease when he was 17. The condition progressively damaged his lungs, eventually leaving him in need of a transplant. In August, as he prepared to enter intensive care, he posted a video from his hospital bed with a message: “I just want to play GTA VI.”
The video struck a chord with gaming enthusiasts, many of whom urged Rockstar Games, the developer of the GTA franchise, to help him experience the game before its release.
A fundraiser organised by Paris Fort to support treatment, relocation and recovery costs raised $96,237 from more than 5,000 donors, against an initial target of $15,000.
Fort underwent the transplant in September and initially appeared to be recovering. However, he subsequently developed a severe infection that caused his lungs to fill with blood. Despite being put on life-support equipment, including extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), his condition continued to deteriorate. According to the family’s account, doctors had warned that he was unlikely to survive. On 28 October, he told his family he was ready to stop fighting. He died the following day.
His death came just weeks before the scheduled release of GTA VI on 19 November 2026. The game, which takes players back to the fictional Vice City, is the first major new instalment in the franchise since GTA V arrived on 17 September 2013. The long wait has been marked by repeated delays, with Rockstar first announcing a 2025 release window before pushing the game to May 2026 and subsequently to November.
“He fought to stay alive just to experience GTA 6. The gaming community rallied behind him, hoping he’d get that chance. Sadly, Jerry Fort has reportedly passed away. A reminder that behind every username is a real human being. Rest in peace,” said a tweet on X.
Following his death, gamers began pledging to dedicate their first playthroughs to him, while others called on Rockstar to include an in-game tribute.
When gaming companies stepped in
Fort’s story has also brought back memories of other instances when gaming companies have stepped in to help seriously ill fans experience games they feared they might never get to play.
In 2018, Nintendo arranged an early opportunity for Chris Taylor, a fan diagnosed with terminal cancer, to play Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Taylor had previously beaten cancer twice but was told that the disease had returned and that he had only months to live. With the game scheduled for release in December, he took to social media to express his fear that he might not live to play it.
“Im really scared I won’t be able to play Ultimate,” he wrote on X in September 2018.
His posts attracted attention across gaming communities, eventually reaching Nintendo. The company sent representatives to his home with a demonstration version of the game. Taylor, his friends and family got to play it for three hours.
A year earlier, Nintendo had also responded to the wish of Gabe Marcela, a 26-year-old with a complex congenital heart condition. Marcela, who had spent much of his life in and out of hospital, was desperate to play The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, another eagerly awaited Nintendo release.
He managed to attend the PAX gaming convention despite his deteriorating health, but the game was not available there. His mother, Anita Marcelo, subsequently approached Nintendo seeking an opportunity for her son to play it before its public release.
“Being homebound for the most part, these dates were really important. They were his calendar, just as birthdays and holidays were,” she told Vice in 2017, describing how gaming events gave her son something to look forward to.
Nintendo eventually arranged for Marcelo to play the game.
“Kyle’s Gone Missing!”
The gaming industry’s relationship with such wishes goes back even further. In 2007, Blizzard Entertainment, the company behind World of Warcraft, invited Ezra Chatterton, a young fan with a brain tumour, to its headquarters after the Make-A-Wish Foundation approached it.
Chatterton was not merely given an opportunity to play his favourite game. Blizzard allowed him to help create content for it. He designed a quest, a crossbow and a character inspired by his dog, Kyle. The character, Ahab Wheathoof, appeared in the game alongside the dog.
The quest, “Kyle’s Gone Missing!”, became a tribute to Chatterton, who died in 2008. Nearly 20 years later, Blizzard brought it back in its newer World of Warcraft: Forever experience after players asked for it, keeping his story alive in the game.
These instances are different from one another, but they share a common thread: for people facing uncertain futures, getting to experience a game they have waited years for can offer something to look forward to.
Fort had also hoped to share his music with a wider audience. His family said the online support had made his final months happier, and thanked those who had donated, shared his story and encouraged him.
“All he wanted was to push his music out and to be known and for people to hear his voice,” the family member said.