An unusual thing happened last week, and I’m trying to process it. I’m hoping writing about it will help me get some clarity around my thoughts and feelings.
For the second time on this blog, I have the unpleasant task of eulogizing a friend. An internet friend, but a friend nevertheless.
Early Thursday morning, on 22 May, there was a horrific plane crash in San Diego, California. All six aboard the plane were killed. Thankfully, despite crashing into a neighborhood of military housing, nobody on the ground lost their lives.
On board that jet was an internet friend of mine, Daniel Williams.
I didn’t know Daniel super well, but we knew each other. To my recollection, we met only once in person, and if my [admittedly awful] memory serves, it was whilst waiting in line to enter one of the live tapings of The Talk Show at WWDC. At that point, we knew each other a smidge, but mostly only because Daniel very kindly facilitated getting me a discount on a GoPro.
Daniel had spent the last eight-ish years as a senior software architect at GoPro, working on their iOS app. He had actually just accepted a dream job offer at Apple, working in the health organization, and was due to start there on this coming Monday.
Over the last year or two we got closer, though I’m not trying to say that we were close. We often exchanged DMs on Instagram and occasionally chatted via iMessage. I was super excited for him to start at Apple soon, though clearly not as excited as he was. 😊
On Wednesday night, the 21st, Daniel was in New York, having just seen a band he knew play. Daniel’s “former life” was as the founding drummer of the metal band The Devil Wears Prada. He had this to say after I asked him about the show:
Sooooo good!
Their show was insane… it is so crazy to see them go from playing a Chinese restaurant (I was there at their first show lol) with 12 people in it to [Madison Square Garden] with like 20k people. They are such good dudes, they deserve it for sure.
Again, I’m not trying to claim I knew Daniel well. But from what I did know, this is very much him: happy in general, but especially to see others happy and successful.
Daniel sent that, Wednesday night, after sending pictures of him eating at my favorite pizzeria in the world. He went on my suggestion, and was kind enough to send me these three photos, which made me deeply jealous 🤤:
Looking back on these photos now, I can’t help but wonder if they’re photos of his last meal. 😢
Three hours later, he had this to say:
His last message to me just hits different now:
💔
On Friday night — two days after we last exchanged messages, and the day
after Daniel’s tragic accident — I was looking at Facebook, and saw his
image in a news story that somehow landed on my timeline. Then I read the
headline, and the two words jumped out at me: Plane Crash. I had no idea.
I was — and remain — shocked.
The last time I wrote a post like this, it was also about an internet friend. I wrote then:
Jason was like nobody I’ve ever met. Which is an odd thing to say, since we had never actually met in person. Nevertheless, I immediately started to cry upon hearing the news; an odd thing to do for someone who, on paper, was just a voice in my head.
Though Daniel and I did meet the one time, the feelings are all the same. Though this time, they’re complicated by me chatting with Daniel hours before he passed away.
From what I’ve read, the crash was the confluence of a ton of weird events: truly terrible weather, equipment malfunctions, etc. The pilot, Dave, was by all accounts an exceptionally skilled pilot. Sometimes, though, everything conspires against you.
Life is a magical, amazing thing, that can be snatched from you in an instant. You never know when — nor how — your ticket will be punched.
Do yourself a favor and hug your special people close today. From everything I know, Daniel would want you to.
Rest in peace, friend. 💙