I'm not the type of person that generally gets choked up by celebrity death announcements. IDK what it is about the news of John McAfee dying, but it really struck home. What a sad ending to such an interesting life. I'll be declining rewards on this post, I don't want to profit from his death, but even though I didn't know him personally, I felt compelled to say a few words about this man.
For those that are reading this and don't know John McAfee cryptocurrency influencer and creator of McAfee Anti-Virus has died in a prison in Spain today. He had been in prison for several months awaiting extradition to the US on charges of tax evasion. At the time of this writing it's being ruled a suicide.
Conspiracy theories have already started surfacing online. John had Tweeted several times he had NO intention to kill himself in prison and if he did everyone should suspect foul play.
There were other Tweets too that reinforced the message he wasn't planning on killing himself and the government may have it out for him. At this point, I don't know what to think. It seems far to early to tell. We'll have to see as the evidence surfaces.
John was very vocal about NOT paying taxes. He was a Libertarian and ran for President. He was the creator of McAfee anti-virus and probably had lots of government contacts and influence. He was also extremely vocal about personal liberty and the concepts of Freedom and Privacy. None of the topics seem to be very popular with those in power these days. On the political front McAfee was very vocal, very loud, and called things as he seen them! Would this be reason to kill him, I'm more than a bit skeptical.
Aledgedly, McAfee hadn't paid taxes in over 10 years. He claimed to have paid over $50 Million throughout the course of his life and felt he had paid enough.
Here's a clip of him talking to @cryptowendyo explaining his thoughts on not paying taxes. I tend to agree with his comments, how much money should one person be expected to pay in his life? This however, is a post for another day.
https://twitter.com/CryptoWendyO/status/1407796521412698112
- CryptoWendyO
IDK what it was about John but whenever he opened his mouth I began to instantly smile. I never listened to his crypto shills and didn't particularly care for the way he promoted certain projects but when he talked politics or was just streaming his thoughts I always paid attention. It wasn't unusual for him to live stream on Twitter playing piano and appearing to be obviously intoxicated.
I think it was obvious to most, this was a man that lived by his own terms. He didn't have to impress anybody. He was John McAfee! If he wanted to drunk Tweet he did. Like so many people on CryptoTwitter, it was obvious he was "one of us"!
I think that's what I'll miss most about him. I find it sad that we won't hear anymore piano songs from John in the wee hours of the morning. I remember seeing a post one night talking about how much he loved his wife. Again, obviously intoxicated, but madly in love. A drunk heart often speaks the truth they say. I feel terrible for his wife. What a tragedy. It was easy to see, they obviously loved each other deeply!
I know guys like John. People that live life to the fullest. Not afraid to have a little fun. Not concerned what other people think. Not afraid to break or bend the rules a little for their own personal shenanigans. They're usually the hardest people to let go of after they've left. Larger than life. Sometimes it seems the only way their life could end would be in tragedy. Nothing else would be able to extinguish such a powerful flame! Regardless, their time on this planet is unforgettable by those that were fortunate enough to get to know them. Again, I didn't know John personally, but that was the impression I got from him. I feel fortunate he shared so much of his life with us through social media. God that sounds sappy, but it's truly how I feel.
Now in my 50s The Dood still parties. I like to tie on a good drunk from time to time. I still dabble from time to time in substances I should probably abstain from at my age. I think that's one of the reasons his death has touched me so, he was a relatable character to me and always made me smile with his wild views and political commentary! If you asked me who I'd like to meet in person or have a drink with from CryptoTwitter, John McAfee would definitely be at the top of that list! He just seemed like the type of guy you could share a drink a doob and a few laughs with.
Conspiracies aside, part of me wants to think he paid off a Spanish prison guard and has escaped his captors. He's on his way to a tropical paradise somewhere with a very strong, very large drink in his hand having a good laugh as he scrolls through his friends Twitter feed sitting in the back of his get-away yacht sailing off into the sunset with his arm around Mrs. McAfee. We can only hope.
I think it's sad that the man was locked up in his 70s facing a possible life sentence for tax evasion. At that age and with his wealth, jail time would probably be pretty heavy. Not to mention they like to make examples of people that publicly renounce taxation and encourage others not to pay. "They" can't have that now, can they? Make no mistake about it, it probably would have been a life sentence.
I don't know what else to say. I didn't know the man but a small part of me looked up to him. I can't help but think of this Hunter S. Thompson quote.
“There he goes. One of God's own prototypes. A high-powered mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die.”
― Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
You'll be missed John McAfee! RIP