Philippine esports community mourns death of shoutcaster 'Kuya D'

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine esports community was plunged into mourning Friday following the death of shoutcaster Aldrin Paulo "Dunoo" Pangan due to COVID-19.

On his Facebook page, Pangan had been posting videos documenting his battle with the virus. In his last Facebook live video dated August 17, Pangan was seen wearing an oxygen mask and was clearly having difficulty speaking.

Pangan, known as "Dunoo" or "Kuya D" coined the popular phrase "Lakad Matatag, Normalin Normalin" with fellow caster Marlon "Lon" Marcelo in DOTA2.

The duo of Pangan and Marcelo were favorites among the community.

Marcelo paid tribute to his friend on Facebook.

Many organizations also took to their respective social media accounts to post their condolences.

LuponWXC, where Pangan was affiliated, also stressed the importance of getting vaccinated.

MPL Season 8 caster Dan “Leo” Cubangay, meanwhile, took to Twitter to post about Pangan's generosity and kindness, especially with The Madrigal Project — a free online course for aspiring esports talents. 

We were just talking, I was telling him about the program, and almost immediately, Kuya D volunteered to teach for The Madrigal Project.

He was so generous and kind.

We will miss you dearly. #LakadMatatag pic.twitter.com/FbUs8UmhE1

— Leo @ MPL Philippines S8 (@LeoCastsPH) August 27, 2021

Pangan had volunteered without hesitation to be part of the program.

Even international organizations joined the Filipino esports community in honoring the late caster.

Indonesia's BOOM Esports, as well as Australian Professional Dota 2 Commentator David "GoDz" Parker, also paid tribute to Pangan on their respective Twitter accounts.

Rest in peace Aldrin Paulo "Dunoo" Pangan, caster that known for his legendray voice chat #LakadMatatag . Thank you for your contributions especially in DOTA 2 community all over the world. pic.twitter.com/bOaxvTBxMd

— BOOM Esports (@boomesportsid) August 27, 2021

Truly devastated to hear about @iamdunoo passing from covid. A Filipino casting legend and also a genuinely kind, amazing friend over the years. Welcomed me to Manila every time I visited like a brother. Just sadness. Sending my love to your family.

You'll be missed Boss Dunoo.

— David Parker | Godz (@BTSGoDz) August 27, 2021

Two-time The International champions OG also paid tribute to Pangan. The organization posted a video of them using the famous battle cries of Pangan, which contributed to their cinderella run during TI8.