We are saddened tonight to report the passing of a highly respected and beloved member of the classic arcade community. Jeff Harrist, better known as “JC”, passed away this weekend. He was 53.
JC had been involved in the classic arcade community since the mid-2000s. He was a mainstay of the regular Donkey Kong “Kong Off” tournaments, starting with Kong Off 2 in 2012. In addition to putting up scores, JC worked tirelessly on the production end of these events as well, setting up streams and providing match commentary. JC was perhaps best known as the owner and moderator of the Donkey Kong Forum website, which brought the DK community together under one umbrella. Alongside DK, JC’s other favorite games included Pac-Man, Robotron, Toobin’, and Crazy Climber.
Aside from video games, JC was also a talented guitarist with an affinity for Iron Maiden. He loved the outdoors, occasionally sharing videos of his adventures fishing in his nearby lakes in Alaska.
Described by his fellow gaming community members as “generous”, “underappreciated”, and “an awesome dude”, he spent his years giving selflessly to the community he loved. He will be deeply missed by his friends, family, and fellow gamers.
Rest in peace, JC.
(Correction: A previous version of this obituary incorrectly listed JC’s age as 51.)
OMG how ones life can be cut so very short. My Heart goes out to his Family and Friends. RIP sir GOD be with You Always.
RIP JC. For your friends and family, I am very sorry for their loss.
So saddened to hear! He was a great guy. I always enjoyed hanging out with him.
This is very sad. He was one of the friendliest guys ever. Very sad to hear. Prayers for his family
This is extremely sad news. So much effort was given to helping others and the community. Take care in the virtual arcade.
wow. Sorry to hear of his passing, so young 🙁 He was one of the corner stone of the DK community and development, RIP JC
So sad to hear. JC was such a giving person, always going the extra mile and building the go to place for the arcade community. Will be greatly missed
OMG! Such sad news. We always came first as a community for him. Thanks for all that you did. Glad to have been your B.O.T.A. brother back in 2013 or 2014 .
Fly
This is very sad news, RIP JC
Such sad and unexpected news. JC brought so many classic arcade gamers together and allowed so many friendships to blossom at his forum. He will be missed terribly.
Let’s hope he’s dropping a credit into a celestial Toobin’ cab in whichever part of the cosmos he has ascended to.
Very sad news to hear! Very cool fact that he was a fan of Iron Maiden. R.I.P JC
Registration is open for the JC Harrist memorial tournament, featuring some of JC’s favorite games at his favorite settings. Event begins soon and runs through April 3.
https://www.cagtournaments.com/JCHarrist
Jeff was behind Lonnie Mcdonald streaming some of his Joust games. Jeff showed him the ropes. Such a great guy and so sad to hear of his passing. The first Donkey Kong kill screen I ever saw was from Jeff on a machine I had in my arcade. He used to try and teach the younger kids how to play.
He was never afraid to tell me when I was repairing something that I was doing it wrong. I won’t mention a certain Mario Brothers cabinet LOL. Those are memories I’ll never forget.
I hope wherever he has transitioned to that he is at peace listening to plenty of iron maiden, Alcateaz, and Helloween. Rest in peace my friend.
A true class act and very caring individual.
His death leave a sad hole in the fabric of classic gaming.