Professional fighting game player Michael Begum, known to his fans as BrolyLegs, has sadly passed away at 35.
Begum suffered from a condition called Arthrogryposis, which hinders muscle growth and rendered him immobile.
That didn't stop Begum from enjoying - and excelling at - video games, developing a method of playing using his wrist, chin, mouth, and face.
It would lead to a distinguished career in Street Fighter. From 2013 to 2017, he was the number one ranked Chun-Li player in Ultra Street Fighter IV. In 2022, he placed 25th in the Street Fighter V Evolution Championship Series.
In addition, his charitable efforts for AbleGamers worked towards helping others, and he was a strong advocate for custom controllers for disabled gamers, alongside universal button mapping for video games.
Begum also worked as a coach for upcoming fighting game players and penned his own autobiography, My Life Beyond The Floor. In 2016, Capcom released BrolyLegs: The Fighter, a documentary on his life as a competitive Street Fighter player with disabilities.
No cause of death has been shared publicly, and on X.com (formerly Twitter), Begum’s family has asked that his fans share their memories and stories of Michael to show how many lives he touched.
Fans also took to Reddit to share their stories and pay their respects to the fighting game legend.
BrolyLegs will be sadly missed throughout the fighting game community.