The fighting game community has taken a big hit with the loss of one of our own, a mentor, rival, training partner, and most importantly, friend.
Ari ‘fLoE’ Weintraub sadly passed away on October 16, 2023. He had just turned 39 years old.
Born in Park Ridge, Illinois, Weintraub became a prominent member of the Chicago area FGC before making a name for himself on the world stage and eventually moving to Las Vegas, Nevada.
fLoE was a fierce competitor across a multitude of fighting games including Street Fighter, Marvel vs. Capcom, Soul Calibur, Killer Instinct, Mortal Kombat, Darkstalkers and Injustice: Gods Among Us.
He was part of one of the earliest large FGC eSports teams with Evil Geniuses for multiple years as well starting in 2011.
Beyond just being a player, Weintraub was also known as a lab monster pioneering the latest tech and one of the best training partners anyone could ask for — as well as someone who was quick to try and make you laugh.
Although he had retired from competing, fLoE was still active in the FGC where he had close friends from all around the world.
He also contributed to channels / shows including Capcom Pro Talk, Cross Counter and his own live stream.
Professionally, he worked as a game tester and other roles for a time on titles like Street Fighter 3: Third Strike Online Edition with Iron Galaxy, The Fast and the Furious, Cruis’n and Target: Terror.
Weintraub reportedly passed surrounded by his loved ones after suffering a series of strokes.
“My best friend Floe has passed away. Myself and his closest friends were there to be with him,” wrote Justin Wong on Twitter. “He lived a great life and made many people happy with his streams. An amazing guy and he was there when I first started. I love you and keep a seat for me so we can run a set.”
In lieu of flowers, the family requests to please send donations to Chabad of Northbrook, Illinois 2095 Landwehr Road Northbrook, Illinois 60062 or Chabad of Henderson 524 Carnegie Street Henderson, NV 89052.
Everyone at EventHubs offers our deepest condolences to the Weintraub family and fLoE’s close friends from every corner of the globe. He will be dearly missed.