Although the Tower is a bit quieter today, on almost every occasion yesterday, the Guardians stood stoically in a circle around Zavala, using the Shield of Humanity emote to signify their character’s larger-than-life presence, or sat among their fellow Guardians while visiting. impromptu candlelight vigil.

On the /r/DestinyTheGame subreddit, tribute to reddick It quickly rose to become the second most popular post in all of Reddit, with many community members and former Bungie developers sharing their favorite memories of Zavala or Reddick himself.

Reddick’s departure comes especially close to home for the Guardians, as they’ve spent the last nine years alongside his character in the game. When I appeared on various live streams on Twitch yesterday, it seemed like that was all people were talking about. It was the same on Twitter, where almost everyone in the Destiny community shared screenshots of the Tower or posted videos showing all of the Guardians gathered to pay their respects to Zavala.

Just logged into Destiny 2, and yes, players have gathered around Commander Zavala, paying homage to his actor, the late Lance Reddick.

Really touching.

TEAR https://t.co/uan1MEaoaY pic.twitter.com/qdvd3d7gBa

— Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo) March 17, 2023

Stephanie Reddick, Lance’s wife, posted a message on his twitter account due to his sudden death. She also expressed her gratitude to the Destiny community, saying, “…to the thousands of Destiny players who played a special tribute to Lance, thank you. Lance loved you as much as he loved the game.”

So Bungie make an official statement after the news stating that “Lance Reddick was an iconic character on screen, in Destiny, and most importantly in person. His love for our community shone in Commander Zavala, in his uncompromising dedication to his cause and in the radiant kindness that touched those around him. To say that he will be missed is a gross understatement, but no less true for that. Rest in peace, Lance.”

In the words of Commander Zavala, “Look up, Guardian.”

Update: Added a statement made by Lance’s wife, Stephanie Reddick.

Matthew Adler is a writer on commerce, features, guides, news, previews and reviews for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @MatthewAdler and also check it curated IGN playlists.