The game industry suffered a sad and unexpected loss this month. EA social advisor Claudia Adams-Esgrow has passed away. Claudia’s wife, Julia Adams-Esgrow, shared the news in a post on Facebook, Claudia and Julia had only been married a few weeks prior.

Claudia started out as an in-game support representative for Blizzard (World of Warcraft) but worked on several games throughout her career, including Star Wars The Old Republic, where she helped manage the community. She even had a stint at Trion Worlds. We’re written about the importance of community management here quite often and as someone who has experience in that field, I tend to take these kinds of roles and the people who fill them, personally. Claudia worked hard for SWTOR and the fans and she was an all-around great person.

Described by friends and family as a great food lover and a passionate political activist, she was someone who cared about things that really mattered. We need more people like her in the video game industry to keep the passion alive and to help developers make and maintain great games that the fans can enjoy for years and years to come. We’re very sorry to hear of her unexpected passing and send our condolences to her wife and friends.

Claudia’s family has posted a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for a funeral and memorial service, which you can visit here. Any money they raise beyond what is needed to cover these costs will be donated to The True Colors Fund, which works to end homelessness among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth.

May the Force be with you, Julia. You are greatly missed.