Anderson “444” Santos, former player for paiN Gaming, has passed away. His passing is attributed to Covid-related complications. The news was broken by his sister on Twitter on the afternoon of Saturday, February 6.
Anderson "444" Santos due to Covid-related complications (Photo via paiN Gaming)
The tweet was translated and shared on Reddit by user rafaelb100. Commenters on the Dota 2 subreddit shared their condolences on news of the support player’s passing. Several weeks ago, Santos’ sister had let his fans know that his family were raising money for his treatments.
444 last played for paiN Gaming, one of Brazil’s most storied Dota 2 organizations. An iconic face in South American esports, 444’s tenure with paiN saw the team compete in numerous tier one events. The squad competed at the MDL Disneyland Paris Major and the EPICENTER Major in 2019. As a team, paiN had good showings at DOTA Summit 10 and 11, with the squad reaching the finals against Alliance at Summit 10.
In the latter part of 2019, paiN were victorious in a series of Brazilian national tournaments, winning the WESG 2019 Brazil Finals and the CBDota tournament. This pair of victories cemented them as the best team in the nation at that time, and one of the premier squads in all of South America. The team would go on to represent SA at DreamLeague Season 13, but fell to regional rivals beastcoast in the lower bracket. During this period, 444 was the team’s reliable hard support player and vital member of the lineup.
On April 9, 2020, paiN disbanded, leaving 444, and the rest of his teammates without an organization. Part of the team went on to join current DPC competitors Team Brasil and EgoBoys.
Santos’ passing comes as Brazil comes under harsh criticism from its citizens for the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. Those sentiments were echoed in comments on Reddit and replies to the announcement of his passing on Twitter.
Our sincere condolences to Anderson Santo’s friends and family during this incredibly difficult time.
