It was only 3 1/2 months ago that we cremated Oliver Frey, Rog’s partner of crime. Last night, Rog left this world to be with Oli at around 3am.
He had been battling with MND for 3 years or so – his diagnosis was originally 6 months. What I learnt over the 16 or so years I knew Roger, he was a fighter. I lived through the phases of MND with Rog, and we talked each time we met about what part of his body was now not working correctly. We were always frank with each other, and could talk about everything and anything.
We did some great things together, first with “Ocean – the history”, a book many said would never be written. Rog and I spent a whole day in Altrincham at Jon Woods’ mansion with both Jon and David Ward. Jon smoked, David spoke and Rog and I listened, asking the odd question here and there just to keep the story of Ocean unfolding.
We worked on other books, and then brought the CRASH and ZZAP! magazines back in the form of Annuals. Roger formatted the 2021 ZZAP! Annual as his final major contribution to our partnership, though he did write a few bits for Fusion and the CRASH and ZZAP! magazines. His heath was getting worse, and the use of his hands with a keyboard became too much of a challenge.
We spent many an afternoon in the Charlton Arms in Ludlow – 3-course meals, wine and intricate conversation, sometimes with just myself, on other occassions with my wife and 3 kids and other times with friends. The picture below is with Matt Birch who brought along a lovely cake to celebrate 100 issues of CRASH.
Rog, you will be sorely missed by us all.
Say “Hi” to Oli for me – you are now where you wanted to be after his passing. RIP Rog.
I’m so sorry to hear the news about Roger, a true gaming mag legend. May he rest in peace, alongside Oli.
Yea, with Archer going as well before XMAS, I have lost 3 of my best friends in the last 5 months!
I cannot possibly imagine what this must feel like. My condolences. I’ve lost my most loved, best friend, around a year and a half ago. A person who really did not leave many ‘footprints’ on this earth, before departing. With no other friends and no family of his left, I am struggling all the time, with how to cope. I have done so much to remember him by. I told friends of him, I told strangers. In the online game he and I used to hang out in his later years, when he was getting gravely ill, I’ve built monuments and shrines others can find, and adopted his old online character, to continue playing that character to honor him. All this, and it’s just never enough.