Call of Duty Pro Player PHiZZURP Dies

October 2, 2016 ESportsSource

The Call of Duty and wider FPS communities are mourning the loss of a legend after Phillip “PHiZZURP” Klemenov passed away following a car crash in Colorado early Sunday morning.  24 year old Klemenov was with a friend and his girlfriend when their car hit a pole and rolled into some trees.  Local CBS station CBS4 cites “alcohol and speed” as possible factors in the crash.

In a video posted to Twitter just minutes after his passing (it has since been deleted), his girlfriend of a few months recounted the fatal accident.

PHiZZURP was a professional player for H2K Gaming, and well known for his clever Search and Destroy tactics.  He began his playing career in the Modern Warfare 2 era, and found some early success with team Fear in 2011.  After bouncing around between pro and amateur teams, he finally landed on H2K for a long term spell in January of this year and competed in the Call of Duty World League.

News of PHiZZURP’s death rocked the greater esports world, as fellow H2K players wore “PK” patches for their match against EDward Gaming at the League of Legends Worlds 2016 tournament.  Casters at the tournament also paid their respects to the well-known player during the live broadcast.

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On Twitter, young fans and players struggle to cope with the news of PHiZZURP’s death.  The hashtag #RIPPHIZZURP was trending worldwide on Sunday morning.

Tributes from friends and fellow players:

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PHiZZURP’s friends have started a GoFundMe to help pay for his funeral.  In just 38 minutes, nearly $7,000 was raised for the family.  Friends of the deceased passenger in the car, Marcelous Johnson, have started a GoFundMe to pay for the young father’s burial.

UMG Orlando, the last Call of Duty event announced before the release of new title “Infinite Warfare” will hold a moment of silence before play begins on October 7th.

 

(A previous version of this article stated Phizzurp’s age as 23.)