R.I.P. YOLOGOGOPLATA

RIP @YOLOGOGOPLATA

This morning I texted him, and earlier this afternoon I received a text from his mother, from his phone, informing me of the tragic news.

Ben was an amazing dude. He was so thoughtful and caring and always had your best interest at heart. He was also a sports encyclopedia - from mma, to basketball and everything in between, he knew stats, dates, accomplishments and could always knock your head off in a debate.

He was actually the only person I've ever made friends with on the internet(which is something I never have done before or even considered doing). I met him on Sherdog (older account) about a year and a half ago and eventually we exchanged numbers and would talk or text. We planned to meet up in person to watch a card at some point as we were about 3 hours away but it never worked out. We talked about sports most of the time but we also talked about life. Ben had a lot of things going for him, he was very athletic (A - Level son) , charismatic, and very intelligent. He was also the kindest dude man, he was so sensible and had a beautiful self awareness to him and always made sure you were comfortable and happy when speaking with you. He also unfortunately had some demons he struggled with for years . Ben struggled with depression and drug use for a while. His mother told me he never learned how to fail and he was so accustomed to being perfect (sports, studies, etc) that once he started to make mistakes and not achieve the goals he strived for, it was a foreign experience for him and that eventually led him to drug use. Last year, when i was going through some things myself, he was one of the first people to call and talk to me like a brother to help even though we didnt even know each other that well. If any of you on here are struggling with any mental health issues or drug abuse please seek help. You can overcome it.

The last time I spoke to him was the day Kobe passed. I remember informing him of Kobe's death and he immediately called me in total shock. This impacted him more then I initially thought and I haven't texted him since then until this morning . What especially hurts to think about is if i should of texted him after Kobe's death instead of waiting an entire week. I had this gut feeling that it affected him a lot and that maybe i should hit him up but i just decided to wait a bit. And right before i woke up earlier I had a dream that I was looking for a missing person. You can't run from destiny. He passed from an overdose on Monday, January 27th 2020.

My condolences go to his family and friends.

This is a link to his obituary if you'd like to read more about him:
https://www.thomasmcafee.com/obituary/Ben-Spark

Please be respectful.
RIP Ben Spark
1990 - 2020
@YOLOGOGOPLATA
Love you bro
I am really sorry to hear this. It is amazing you formed a real life friendship off of Sherdog, and it is extra depressing that it ended like this.
 
I didn't have any interactions with him, but I'm not happy to hear he passed. RIP, I'm sorry for your and his families loss.
 
That's awful. Condolences to his family.

It's nice to see these tributes to some of the known members of Sherdog. It's funny how much of a role this strange, aggressive, but always entertaining forum plays in some of our lives.
 
My lord. Please help his family and friends in this time and after.
Rip
We lost another sherdogger. Hate it...
 
RIP @YOLOGOGOPLATA

This morning I texted him, and earlier this afternoon I received a text from his mother, from his phone, informing me of the tragic news.

Ben was an amazing dude. He was so thoughtful and caring and always had your best interest at heart. He was also a sports encyclopedia - from mma, to basketball and everything in between, he knew stats, dates, accomplishments and could always knock your head off in a debate.

He was actually the only person I've ever made friends with on the internet(which is something I never have done before or even considered doing). I met him on Sherdog (older account) about a year and a half ago and eventually we exchanged numbers and would talk or text. We planned to meet up in person to watch a card at some point as we were about 3 hours away but it never worked out. We talked about sports most of the time but we also talked about life. Ben had a lot of things going for him, he was very athletic (A - Level son) , charismatic, and very intelligent. He was also the kindest dude man, he was so sensible and had a beautiful self awareness to him and always made sure you were comfortable and happy when speaking with you. He also unfortunately had some demons he struggled with for years . Ben struggled with depression and drug use for a while. His mother told me he never learned how to fail and he was so accustomed to being perfect (sports, studies, etc) that once he started to make mistakes and not achieve the goals he strived for, it was a foreign experience for him and that eventually led him to drug use. Last year, when i was going through some things myself, he was one of the first people to call and talk to me like a brother to help even though we didnt even know each other that well. If any of you on here are struggling with any mental health issues or drug abuse please seek help. You can overcome it.

The last time I spoke to him was the day Kobe passed. I remember informing him of Kobe's death and he immediately called me in total shock. This impacted him more then I initially thought and I haven't texted him since then until this morning . What especially hurts to think about is if i should of texted him after Kobe's death instead of waiting an entire week. I had this gut feeling that it affected him a lot and that maybe i should hit him up but i just decided to wait a bit. And right before i woke up earlier I had a dream that I was looking for a missing person. You can't run from destiny. He passed from an overdose on Monday, January 27th 2020.

My condolences go to his family and friends.

This is a link to his obituary if you'd like to read more about him:
https://www.thomasmcafee.com/obituary/Ben-Spark

Please be respectful.
RIP Ben Spark
1990 - 2020
@YOLOGOGOPLATA
Love you bro
Didn’t know him, but nice text man! RIP to the fellow sherbro
 
RIP

This year has been horrible. An old work friend of mine passed on the 4th

Then one of my closest friends passed on the 9th. Ironically his birthday was on the 4th. I talked to him that day.

What made it worse is he was very close with my wife and bro in law. They all knew each other since they were kids.

They were the ones that found him. They spoke to him that morning cuz they were all supposed to go to Disneyland.

He came out of rehab on 12/29 and had been clean for 55 days. I guess his body couldn't take another hit. He was an OD too. He had been clean for 10yrs before relapsing about a yr ago
 
What the fuck!!

@YOLOGOGOPLATA was a great poster and a great addition to sherdog. I will definitely miss him. Haven't had as much interactions with him as some of you guys but damn it sucks he's gone.

R. I. P.
 
Thank you for sharing sir. That is a tragic end to a seemingly beautiful life. It's so great that he made a strong impact on you. Sherdog has some great folks on here. I've interacted with many great people over the years. Much love to his friends and family, and may he RIP.
 
Heavies have lost a good one. RIP :(...
 
So young. That’s so tragic my thoughts and prayers go out to his family. Rip
 
RIP @YOLOGOGOPLATA

This morning I texted him, and earlier this afternoon I received a text from his mother, from his phone, informing me of the tragic news.

Ben was an amazing dude. He was so thoughtful and caring and always had your best interest at heart. He was also a sports encyclopedia - from mma, to basketball and everything in between, he knew stats, dates, accomplishments and could always knock your head off in a debate.

He was actually the only person I've ever made friends with on the internet(which is something I never have done before or even considered doing). I met him on Sherdog (older account) about a year and a half ago and eventually we exchanged numbers and would talk or text. We planned to meet up in person to watch a card at some point as we were about 3 hours away but it never worked out. We talked about sports most of the time but we also talked about life. Ben had a lot of things going for him, he was very athletic (A - Level son) , charismatic, and very intelligent. He was also the kindest dude man, he was so sensible and had a beautiful self awareness to him and always made sure you were comfortable and happy when speaking with you. He also unfortunately had some demons he struggled with for years . Ben struggled with depression and drug use for a while. His mother told me he never learned how to fail and he was so accustomed to being perfect (sports, studies, etc) that once he started to make mistakes and not achieve the goals he strived for, it was a foreign experience for him and that eventually led him to drug use. Last year, when i was going through some things myself, he was one of the first people to call and talk to me like a brother to help even though we didnt even know each other that well. If any of you on here are struggling with any mental health issues or drug abuse please seek help. You can overcome it.

The last time I spoke to him was the day Kobe passed. I remember informing him of Kobe's death and he immediately called me in total shock. This impacted him more then I initially thought and I haven't texted him since then until this morning . What especially hurts to think about is if i should of texted him after Kobe's death instead of waiting an entire week. I had this gut feeling that it affected him a lot and that maybe i should hit him up but i just decided to wait a bit. And right before i woke up earlier I had a dream that I was looking for a missing person. You can't run from destiny. He passed from an overdose on Monday, January 27th 2020.

My condolences go to his family and friends.

This is a link to his obituary if you'd like to read more about him:
https://www.thomasmcafee.com/obituary/Ben-Spark

Please be respectful.
RIP Ben Spark
1990 - 2020
@YOLOGOGOPLATA
Love you bro
Just wanted to say: sorry for your loss. I know someone that OD'd. Young. It's hard to understand and accept. Kobe was a weird situation too, I can completely understand how upset some people got about it. I... struggle with addiction myself. Anyway, peace.

"encouraged his teammates and preferred to set up plays rather than try to score on his own"

especially moving. i always played fullback in soccer.
 
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RIP

This year has been horrible. An old work friend of mine passed on the 4th

Then one of my closest friends passed on the 9th. Ironically his birthday was on the 4th. I talked to him that day.

What made it worse is he was very close with my wife and bro in law. They all knew each other since they were kids.

They were the ones that found him. They spoke to him that morning cuz they were all supposed to go to Disneyland.

He came out of rehab on 12/29 and had been clean for 55 days. I guess his body couldn't take another hit. He was an OD too. He had been clean for 10yrs before relapsing about a yr ago

I said this earlier, but that’s the most dangerous time for a recovering narcotics addict. The body and brain chemistry has returned to normal, but in the person’s mind they’re still someone who uses X mg when they use.

This is really important for you guys to know. Whether it’s yourself or someone in your life, odds are that opiates will invade your life at one point or another. It’s beatable, but you have to understand where the dangers lie.
 
Damn. Didn't know of him from here but I read his obituary and he sounds like a really good dude. Rest in peace Ben. I feel so bad for his loved ones, addiction tortures you and those closest to you
 
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