I am very sorry to have to be the one to break this news to our mutual friends and family. But I was informed late last night that my soulmate and partner of five years, Fabian Fidel Melendez (aka "Shifterfur") has passed away.

I am still in shock over this myself. However, rather than keeping everyone in the dark I figure it is best to let as many people as possible know so as not to cause undue worry and sorrow later on.

Those who knew Shifter well also knew that he had struggled with obesity and other related health problems his entire life. These problems, coupled with severe depression over the loss of both of his parents, unfortunately led to his condition worsening over time.

On June 11th 2024 Shifter admitted himself to the ER due to intense pain in one of his legs. Due to the chaos I was not able to contact him during this time as he did not have his phone on him and the hospital he was admitted to did not have my contact information. I received a call from said hospital late last night, informing me that Shifter had gone into cardiac arrest earlier that afternoon and that they had not been able to resuscitate him. As of now the exact cause of death is unconfirmed, but the doctors suspect that a blood clot from an earlier infection may have made its way into his lungs.

As for myself, I am currently sad and hurting, but am doing as well as I can considering the circumstances. Those of you who have my contact info, feel free to reach out if you want to.