Hi guys. We have some really awful news. Tumblr user @penroseparticle has died.
We know Colton was beloved by so many people, and was a bright spot in so many lives. He introduced us to incredible music, beautiful art, cursed posts, and bizarre math facts. He was hilarious, snarky, loving, and curious. He was a curator, a polymath, an artist, and a jock. He was such a fucking nerd.
The tattoo story was real.
Colton was thoughtful, introspective, brilliant, and hard on himself. He loved fiercely and directly–he was in your corner and he would do your laundry and cook you food about it. He knew so much about so many things, and was constantly making connections between them. He was simply the best at liking things. He loved learning about what other people liked, and he loved sharing things he liked with other people. He made all of our lives so much better.
It was difficult for Colton to let other people love him, or to let himself have nice things. He had been working hard and getting so much better at both of those, especially in the last year. He spent time at art museums and was getting amazing new tattoos. He loved making his song of the day posts. He was learning morse code, like a giant nerd, and studying to get the necessary licenses so he could have his own informal radio station and share music. He had perfected a chocolate chip cookie recipe that he liked to make for everyone, and he had just let weeds buy him a bigger stockpot, so he could feed more people.
It was something magical, getting to love Colton.
It was a privilege to know Colton. It was a privilege to love him. We are all so lucky to have had him in our lives. We are so grateful for every second of the time we had together. We wish there could have been more.
We love you, Colton.
We are working on ways for folks to share their memories of Colton and the impact he had on their lives, including here on tumblr. We will share them when we have them. For folks who knew him IRL, we are working on a memorial, and will share that information as well when we have it. There is not yet a public-facing announcement of his death; out of respect for his family, please don’t spread this news on other platforms or in ways that are tied to his IRL presence yet.
We love you Colton.
We’ll end with his words: You could be dead right now. Go listen to something you love.
