The UK esports, Call of Duty and streaming communities have paid tribute to Neil Guest aka ‘The Fossil’, whose family announced he has sadly passed away.
Neil, who described himself as ‘a certified fossil at 40 + 21 years old’, was an ardent fan of London Royal Ravens, the UK franchise Call of Duty esports team that was first announced in late 2019 and renamed the Carolina Royal Ravens last year.
He made several appearances at Royal Ravens and UK gaming events over the years, including the recently-closed Insomnia Gaming Festival, where Neil met members of the London Royal Ravens (pictured, top, with Neil on the right).
He often streamed to his 3,000 followers and engaged with the community, even through his health complications.
Neil is survived by his partner Lisa, and his two children Claire and David.
His personality and love of gaming earnt him the respect of the community, with many sending messages of condolences and paying tribute to him after his X account posted the following:
Neil Guest’s family also sent Esports News UK the following message: “The gaming community lost a legend, but we lost our partner, our dad, our brother, our uncle, our friend, our neighbour.
“His love for gaming came later on in his life, but it’s never too late to take up on something that you absolutely enjoy doing.
“Most of you knew Neil as The Fossil.
“He was a true supporter of the Royal Ravens, a friend for the whole community, an uplifter for many that knew him personally and through his online community.”
Neil Guest’s family
“He will be truly missed by his two children and partner and the rest of his family. But I also know that he will be truly missed by all of his amazing friends that he grew friendships with through his love of gaming.
“I know he’ll be looking down on everyone that he adored.”
‘One of the biggest Royal Ravens fans, if not the biggest’ – tributes pour in for Neil Guest aka The Fossil
The UK games community paid its respects to Neil on social media platform X.
Jacob Hale, CoD reporter and UK editor at Dexerto, said: “Neil was always a vocal fan of UK Call of Duty and became a legend at CDL London. One of the biggest Royal Ravens fans on here, if not the biggest.”
Former Royal Ravens player, Wuskin, said: “Wow this kills me to read. I am so sorry for your loss. If there’s anything I can do to help in the slightest please message me.”
Former Royal Ravens managing director Michael ‘ODEE’ O’Dell said: “I will miss you Neil – we had quite a laugh the past few years.”
CoD League commentator Miles Ross Jnr added: “RIP King.”
Former Royal Ravens streamer Jukeyz tweeted:
Rest in peace to a legend of the community always had a smile on his face an was always a positive guy no matter what was happening. RIP @neilguest1 ????
— Li (@Jukeyz) May 28, 2024pic.twitter.com/55z2g4FrM7
Streamer LadyGut said: “Oh my goodness this is so shocking and horrible to see, he was always such an energetic and friendly soul in my stream and wherever I met him. Rest in peace <3”
Another streamer, Fnatic Stallion, added: “Stomach absolutely dropped after reading this news. Neil was nothing but a top bloke and I had nothing but respect and love for him. Deeply sorry for your family’s loss and I’ll personally really miss him.”
There were many, many other messages paying tribute to Neil Guest in the above tweet, we’ve included just a handful.
The official Carolina Royal Ravens account and Royal Ravens community manager, WaR tclx, also paid tribute, with the latter saying: “RIP Neil, will never forget the London events and endless amounts of Ravens community days you joined us for. [You’re] forever the 6th Raven.”
forever the #6thRaven pic.twitter.com/OKar6og4Fe
— WaR tclx(@TomCLocke) May 28, 2024
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
