So I've just been reading e-mails between me and Seb Patrick over the years. Geek journalist, TV and movie critic, and blogger, we even shared an artist (Gary Erskine) on comic books we had written. We would meet outside movie screenings, at comic conventions and occasionally in pubs and, well, basically geek out about stuff, both of us enormously pleased we got to do this for a living. We swapped gossip, tips, leads and occasionally helped each other break a story. Four days ago, at the ridiculously young age of 37, Seb suffered a suspected heart attack and died. Official web editor and social media manager for Red Dwarf, he was a regular writer for Empire which I could understand, and When Saturday Comes, which I never could. He also co-created the UK's first Kickstarter-funded sitcom in 2013, 'A Brief History of Time Travel' which is available right here and I'm off to listen to again.
There will be a tribute to Seb Patrick tonight on the first part of the documentary series Red Dwarf: The First Three Million Years, narrated by David Tennant and airing tonight from 9pm BST on the UKTV channel Dave. It is expected to run in the first ad break around 9.25pm.
An appeal has been made to help support his wife and young daughter at this horrible and baffling time. I'm about to add a contribution, I hope you can, too. Here are a few tributes to the man from some of the great and the good.
Everyone at Empire is devastated to hear of the sudden passing of the great Seb Patrick. A superb writer and podcaster, and a ginormous geek, Seb's contributions to Empire — including a memorable interview with Tom Baker — were always wonderful. Our thoughts are with his family. pic.twitter.com/ji992DTqTN
— Empire Magazine (@empiremagazine) August 2, 2020
I don't have a huge circle of friends. A couple of close, a few important, a smattering of other/work/twitter.
Seb Patrick was Important. I went awkwardly to his wedding, he and his wife came wonderfully to ours. And you should heard them duet at the booth karaoke nights we had.
— Andrew Ellard (@ellardent) August 2, 2020
@sebpatrick Devastated to hear the news about Seb. Our thoughts and love are with his family and friends of which there are so many. Smart, funny, kind, articulate, he kept the Red Dwarf website going single handedly. What a guy. I'll miss him greatly. #RedDwarf
— Doug Naylor (@DougRDNaylor) August 2, 2020
The Bill & Ted community just lost a true friend. Seb Patrick was a great writer and a wonderful soul. He died suddenly from a shock heart attack, and he leaves behind his wife, Jo, and his 5 yr old daughter, Lois. There is a GoFundMe in support of them. https://t.co/WqdPwIIyxG?
— Ed Solomon (@ed_solomon) August 5, 2020
What a wonderful person Seb Patrick was, and a what a devastating blow his loss is. Kindness personified. Always interesting, always interested. More so than almost anyone else I've ever met – his enthusiasm knew no bounds. pic.twitter.com/3JycouwY95
— Simon Renshaw (@SiRenshaw) August 2, 2020
I knew Seb Patrick from the time we were both awkward nerdy kids at freshers week, endlessly quoting Blackadder and Red Dwarf and The Simpsons, to last week sharing recent music recommendations. I can't believe he's gone, I'm in shock pic.twitter.com/hlPn8qSMwN
— Catherine Bray (@catherinebray) August 2, 2020
Our hearts are broken and grieving for our dear talented colleague and friend @sebpatrick who died suddenly yesterday from a suspected heart attack. Our love, thoughts and support go out to his family.
Rest in peace Seb, you will be sorely missed. From all your colleagues. Xx pic.twitter.com/cgn1n8y3Wh
— Social (@LifeAtSOCIAL) August 3, 2020
The news about Seb Patrick is so shocking, so awful. It felt inevitable we'd meet in real life one day- we interacted on here all the time and he was always such a bright, positive corner of nerdom. Such a nice guy. Thinking of his family.
— Rachael Stott (@RachaelAtWork) August 2, 2020
Was very sad to hear of the premature passing of @sebpatrick. He was a great fan of and commentator on popular culture and leaves behind a young family. If you felt like donating a couple of quid here https://t.co/RwqRAuKNFE it would be a very nice (and helpful) gesture.
— Richard K Herring (@Herring1967) August 5, 2020
I think @Switchy625 has identified the most apt Red Dwarf quote.
"You'd think you'd be pleased that somewhere, in some other dimension, there's another you, another you doing really well for himself."
That version of me was @sebpatrick and I was honoured to call him my friend.
— Ian Symes 🌹🇪🇺 (@ianiansymes) August 2, 2020
He worked at my agency. I picked him to take over my job writing the Red Dwarf website. We both wrote for Empire. Both loved The Office.
We'd talked about plans to visit before Covid hit. I always assumed we'd end up in the same circle again, maybe doing a project together.
— Andrew Ellard (@ellardent) August 2, 2020
Just completely heartbroken at the loss of Seb Patrick. A good friend and someone who made Twitter a better place to be. I'm going to miss him very much.
— Al Kennedy (@housetoastonish) August 2, 2020
The news about @sebpatrick is the worst possible news. Anyone dying is sad. When someone with his attitude and outlook dies, it's magnified. He looked at things he loved with a critical, humorous, kind eye. Too fucking young. He had so much still to offer. My love to his family.
— Louis Barfe (@AlanKelloggs) August 2, 2020
If someone dies while you owe them a favour then you owe it to the universe I guess. @sebpatrick i'll make it something decent
— Clownhunter (@illusClaire) August 2, 2020
Our friend died very suddenly last week without life insurance, and now his wife and daughter need help. If you think you can spare even a little, it would mean a lot. Thank you https://t.co/chAdK2cI0W
— giallo shots (@emotionalpedant) August 6, 2020
Terrible news about Seb Patrick, absolutely heart broken. His knowledge of Red Dwarf was vast and encyclopaedic. A wonderful person who will be greatly missed 💔 https://t.co/DGEwOAgJfJ
— Justine Bower ✨ (@justinebower) August 2, 2020
Struggling to process @sebpatrick's death; it's so unfair, how someone so young, with a family, has been taken away like that. Apologies to the person who said this first, but if more comic book fans were like him, the world would be a better place.
— Christopher Chiu-Tabet (@CCTabet) August 2, 2020
This week's newsletter, where I primarily write about the loss of Seb Patrick. https://t.co/4UTXGrXXIo
— Kieron Gillen (@kierongillen) August 5, 2020