Filipino Dota 2 icon dies from Covid-19 after weeks-long battle
By Bryan Ke
August 30, 2021
On Friday, Aldrin “Dunoo” Pangan, known in the Filipino “Defense of the Ancients 2” (Dota 2) community as “Kuya D,” died from COVID-19 complications.
What to know: Pangan, an esports commentator, had been battling COVID-19 since Aug. 9. He kept family, friends and fans updated through his professional Facebook page.
- Pangan made his last post on Aug. 17. In the video, he is seen lying in bed with oxygen support.
Dota 2 tournament organizers, players, teams and personalities have since paid their respects to Pangan:
- Former Senator Bam Aquino, the cousin of late Philippine President Benigno Aquino III, also took to Twitter to extend his condolences.
Kuya D’s influence: Pangan was a talent under Philippine e-sports company LuponWXC, according to his Facebook profile page.
- He and his casting partner, Marlon “Lon” Marcelo, were the duo behind the popular line “Lakad matatag! Normalin, normalin” (“Walk steadily and deliver a normal hit”). They first used the line during a match between Team Secret and Fnatic at the ESL One Katowice in 2018, according to ABS-CBN.
- Valve Corporation, the developer of Dota 2, added the voice line in-game as part of The International 2018’s (TI 8) compendium “Epic Caster Pack” reward for level 1,205. Other lines in the pack include “Easiest money of my life,” “Echo Slamma Jamma” and “The next level play.”
- Valve founder Gabe Newell also used Pangan’s now iconic line during his short speech at The International 2018, an annual Dota 2 championship tournament, in Vancouver.
- Two-time champion, OG, constantly spammed the line during their matches at TI 8 and TI 9.
Featured Image via @dunoodunoo
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