A high-flying Scottish computer games developer died from Covid-19 at the age of 51, reportedly because his fear of needles meant he was too afraid to get vaccinated.
Stewart Gilray, CEO of development company Just Add Water, was hospitalised with the virus on December 20 but later died on Thursday.
His grieving widow Bec has urged the public who are worried about getting the jab to overcome their fears and get vaccinated, reports The Daily Record.
The father-of-two, from Aberdeen, described having Covid as ‘horrendous’ and said he ‘didn’t wish this on anyone’ shortly before he was admitted to hospital.
Stewart Gilray, CEO of development company Just Add Water, was hospitalised with the virus on December 20 but later died on Thursday
Gilray, who developed remasters of the Oddworld series, a video game adaption of Doctor Who and Sniper Elite VR, was put on oxygen and said he wasn’t ‘doing that great’ whilst posting a photo of a cannula in his hand.
He wrote: ‘I’m not doing that great. The amount of oxygen they have me on too keep me over the magic 95% is the maximum.
‘For those that know we will enough know I hate needles, this picture shows what I’m going through right now to fight this.’
Gilray was later put into an induced coma after his condition deteriorated drastically, the newspaper reported.
The father-of-two, from Aberdeen, described having Covid as ‘horrendous’ and said he ‘didn’t wish this on anyone’ shortly before he was admitted to hospital
Tributes have poured in for the game developer with American video game programmer John Romero tweeting: ‘It’s hard to believe he’s gone.
‘Stewart Gilray was a good friend and always there whenever anyone needed him, including me.
‘He was one of the good ones. I’m grateful for our friendship and thinking of his wife Bec, kids and many friends he’s left behind.’
Others have also urged the public to get vaccinated and wear a mask to protect themselves from the virus.
Miles Jacobson, CEO of Football Manager creators Sports Interactive, tweeted: ‘This morning I lost another friend to Covid. Someone my age, who also ran a games studio.
‘A life lost far too early leaving a wife without the love of her lives and two children losing their dad.
‘Get vaccinated, wear a mask, care about your fellow humans, because life is too short to not.’
Developer Shahid Ahmad told Games Industry: ‘Stewart was one of the most loved people in the games industry.
‘He made friends wherever he went and was an immensely talented, award-winning games developer.
‘He and I hit it off at our very first meeting well over a decade ago and had been very close friends since, sharing our highest highs and lowest lows. He was one of only a handful of people in the industry who I trusted enough to open up with.
‘I’m devastated at his untimely passing and want to assure his wife and children of the games industry’s support.
‘My thoughts and prayers are with them. Stew is irreplaceable and so is our friendship. The massive outpouring of love for him is testament to him as a man who cared deeply about people.’
