If you grew up gaming in the '80s and early '90s, then the names Tim and Geoff Follin will no doubt be familiar to you.
The siblings crafted some of the finest video game soundtracks of the era, making relatively humble audio hardware perform some seriously catchy and engaging tunes. Their credits include The New Zealand Story (NES), Terminator 2 (NES), Spot: The Video Game (Game Boy), Solstice II (NES), Spider-Man and the X-Men in Arcade's Revenge (SNES), Plok (SNES) and Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball (SNES).
In a message posted on Facebook by his brother Tim, it was revealed that Geoff succumbed to pancreatic cancer earlier this week – he was only diagnosed on the 7th of May.
"The speed at which this has happened has been utterly brutal," says Tim. "He leaves behind an amazing wife and three amazing children, the oldest 19 and the youngest only 16. You can imagine how devastating this is for all of them and for the rest of us. He was four years older than me, and l idolised him and copied him throughout my teens and throughout my life. He was the most empathic, caring, loving brother you could wish for, I loved him as much as it's possible to love anyone. It feels like a huge piece has been suddenly and violently ripped out of me. I haven't been able to stop crying for weeks. At the moment, to be completely honest, I'm struggling to work out how to live without him, but I know he'd want me to be there for his family. Making sure I can help them in any way I can is now my priority."
The Follin's love of music began in their home, with their mother and grandmother both playing the piano and encouraging Geoff and Tim to learn a wide range of instruments. While Tim was keen to chart a career in music, Geoff attended the University of Nottingham to study Environmental Biology. According to vgmpf.com, Geoff was working as a potato picker when his brother asked him if he fancied working at the Manchester-based studio Software Creations, and a legendary partnership was born.
Sadly, Geoff quit the video game industry in 1995 after working on Batman Forever.
Tim adds that his brother was a picture of health – "he never smoked, hardly drank, exercised regularly and ate healthily. He did everything you're supposed to. And yet this happened. Pancreatic cancer is one of the worst; it has few symptoms yet can spread the fastest. If you can, please consider donating to pancreatic cancer research. This disease desperately needs a cure."
Our thoughts are with Geoff's family and friends at this incredibly difficult time.