Rainbow Six Siege player Arif “Next1” Keskin has died after contracting the COVID-19. The 24-year old had been hospitalized with the virus on April 13.
On April 10, 2021, Next1 tweeted how COVID-19 made him feel “so powerless” with a constant headache. He was hospitalized three days later. On Sunday, May 23, Chaos Esports Club announced that Next1 had passed away.
Rainbow Six community in shock from Next1’s death from the coronavirus
Next1 played on various Rainbow Six teams, with Chaos Esports Club as the most recent and well-known in his tenure. He won the Nordic Championships Finals and finished in eighth place at the European League 2020 with Chaos Esports.
The community was shocked and saddened by Next1’s passing. Both fans and professional players have responded to the news with fond memories of Next1 as well as disbelief that he’s gone. Cccnavar held a Twitch stream in his memory on the day of the announcement, where fans were able to come together in chat and show their support.
We’re very saddened to hear our former player @Next1r6 has tragically passed away. He was a great personality and we were honored to have him play under the Chaos banner.
Our thoughts are with his family at this time.
— Chaos EC (@ChaosEC) May 23, 2021
Sad news on an important day
The news came on an important day in the Rainbow Six community as Ninjas in Pyjamas beat Team Liquid 3-2 at the Six Invitational 2021. The final day of the most important tournament in Siege was already underway when the news of Next1’s death was announced. It also came a day after Team Liquid’s Luccas “Paluh” Molina’s father passed away in the hospital. Paluh and his team had just made it to the lower bracket finals when he received the news. He said  that his father would have wanted him to play the final day later on in a tweet.
While May 23 should have been a big day in the Rainbow 6 community with the conclusion of the Six Invitational, it also comes with sadness after a beloved figure’s passing.
Published: May 23, 2021 04:37 pm