Alex Cimo’s widow has shared her thoughts publicly for the first time since his passing, saying she’s unhappy with the way the announcement was handled.
Alex, known online as Cimoooooooo for his Yu-Gi-Oh! content, died aged 32 after battling stage 4 colon cancer.
He had built a large audience, with 381,000 YouTube subscribers, and many fans have since expressed their shock and sadness.
The first public notice of his death came from his mother, Mary-Frances Alonzo, who posted about it on LinkedIn in a message that has since been deleted.
She wrote alongside an image of the creator: “Today, I have a very personal post to share as many of my colleagues are familiar with our journey.
“Last night, my amazing son, Alex Cimo, left us after a hard-fought battle with Stage IV colon cancer. Words cannot describe the magnificent human being that he was.”
In her post, Mary-Frances also reflected on her son’s love of Yu-Gi-Oh! and said he had been able to share that passion with a huge number of people.
She continued: “He was so talented, brilliant, and wise beyond his 32 years,” the grieving mother continued to write. “It felt as it everything he touched was magic, including our hearts. There will never be another Alex Cimo, and he will forever live in our hearts.”
Alex’s wife, Bryttni Cimo, has now addressed the situation herself, saying she felt the information was made public without her approval.
She wrote on Twitter yesterday (June 5) in two separate posts: “A bit frustrated that the death of my husband was leaked without my consent.
A bit frustrated that the death of my husband was leaked without my consent. I had a specific plan in place to announce it when I was ready after I gave myself and our family space to grieve. I know that you all loved him dearly. (1/2)
— 𝔟𝔯𝔶𝔱𝔱𝔫𝔦 (@bryttnicimo) June 5, 2026
“I had a specific plan in place to announce it when I was ready after I gave myself and our family space to grieve. I know that you all loved him dearly.”
Bryttni added: “Alex was very forthcoming about his health journey with all of you and I want to honor that but I am not ready at this moment. I will make a video with further details and post it on his channel at a later date.”
Prior to his death, Alex had shared that doctors told him in mid-March that he only had days left to live. Despite that prognosis, he went on to reach his 32nd birthday.
On May 1, he posted a photo of a slice of cake and wrote: “In mid-march, the ‘best cancer doctors in the United States’ told me that I only had days to live.
“I refused to accept my fate, so I fought, and fought, and f**king fought harder than anything I’ve had to fight for in my entire life.”
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the American Cancer Society on 1-800-227-2345 or via their live chat feature, available 24/7 every day of the year.