{
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    "date": "2025-10-13T09:54:29",
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    "link": "https:\/\/hbbgroup.net\/en_us\/crypto-community-mourns-passing-of-rtfkt-co-founder-benoit-pagotto\/",
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        "rendered": "Crypto Community Mourns Passing of RTFKT Co-Founder Benoit Pagotto"
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        "rendered": "<div>\n<div>\n<h4 color=\"#333\">In brief<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Friends and collaborators described Pagotto as \u201csuper creative\u201d and \u201cdiscreet and humble.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>RTFKT cofounder Steven Vasilev and BAYC\u2019s Greg Solano were among those who paid tribute online.<\/li>\n<li>Pagotto helped build RTFKT into one of digital fashion\u2019s most influential brands before Nike acquired it in 2021.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>Beno\u00eet Pagotto, co-founder of the digital fashion studio RTFKT, has reportedly passed away at the age of 41, according to colleagues&#8217; confirmations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Philippe Rodriguez, a French tech executive and longtime associate, first <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/posts\/philrod_benito-est-parti-jai-appris-ce-matin-activity-7383133128577531904-qlc_\" target=\"_blank\"><span>shared<\/span><\/a><span> word of Pagotto\u2019s \u201csudden\u201d passing on LinkedIn early Sunday in Paris.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Pagotto was \u201csuper creative, discreet and humble,\u201d and was \u201cpassionate but always reasonable,\u201d a translation of Rodriguez\u2019s post reads.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cHe believed that beauty could change the world,\u201d Rodriguez wrote.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Tributes from close friends and associates quickly filled the crypto Twitter sphere.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>RTFKT co-founder Steven Vasilev commented on the news on X, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Zaptio\/status\/1977472069148541379\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow external noopener\"><span>writing<\/span><\/a><span> that \u201cthe vision, mission and inspiration [Beno\u00eet] gave to the world will live on forever.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Former RTFKT CTO Samuel Cardillo remembered Pagotto as \u201ca grumpy Parisian clich\u00e9, an asshole and genius\u201d who spoke his mind \u201cwithout filters.\u201d To Cardillo, Pagotto was \u201ca unique human being,\u201d adding that he hoped his dear friend would \u201crespawn as a badass mean crow.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Bored Ape Yacht Club co-founder Greg Solano, known online as Garga.eth, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/CryptoGarga\/status\/1977487297827557622\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow external noopener\"><span>wrote<\/span><\/a><span> that Pagotto was \u201cone of the kindest, funniest people I met in crypto,\u201d recalling how he offered help \u201cwhen we were nobodies\u201d and stayed genuine even after success. Solano added that he would miss Pagotto\u2019s \u201cbig, boisterous laugh you could hear from across a restaurant.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 color=\"#333\"><b>Defining moments<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span>Known for merging luxury design, gaming, and crypto culture, Pagotto helped transform RTFKT into one of the defining digital-asset brands of the last bull run. Founded in 2020 with Chris Le and Vasilev, the studio rose to prominence through virtual sneakers and collectibles, including the Clone X \u00d7 Takashi Murakami series.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Nike <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/decrypt.co\/88228\/nike-steps-metaverse-buying-nft-sneaker-studio\" target=\"_blank\"><span>acquired<\/span><\/a><span> RTFKT in December 2021, and under Pagotto\u2019s creative direction, it explored physical-linked NFTs and digital drops that bridged sneaker culture with on-chain identity. Although Nike began <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/decrypt.co\/294410\/nike-killing-nft-sneaker-rtfkt\" target=\"_blank\"><span>winding down<\/span><\/a><span> RTFKT operations late last year, Pagotto continued to speak publicly on behalf of the brand.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In April, images for several of its Ethereum-based collections <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/decrypt.co\/316165\/why-rtfkt-nike-ethereum-nft-artwork-disappeared\" target=\"_blank\"><span>briefly disappeared<\/span><\/a><span> after a cloud-hosting failure disrupted off-chain storage links.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The issue, later described by RTFKT\u2019s then\u2013chief of technology Cardillo as a \u201ctemporary infrastructure problem,\u201d exposed how centralized dependencies undercut the permanence RTFKT once promised.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In the same month, RTFKT and its parent company were hit with a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/decrypt.co\/316622\/nike-5-million-suit-alleged-nft-securities-violations\" target=\"_blank\"><span>$5 million class-action lawsuit<\/span><\/a><span> from NFT holders who accused Nike of misleading buyers about the long-term value of their tokens.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The federal complaint alleged that Nike touted RTFKT\u2019s NFTs as premium investments, then abandoned them by shutting down the studio and ending support, amounting to what plaintiffs called a \u201csoft rug pull.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Decrypt<\/span><\/i><span> has reached out to Nike, RTFKT\u2019s cofounders, and close associates for confirmation and comment. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>At the time of writing, <\/span><i><span>Decrypt<\/span><\/i><span> has not identified any official obituary or civil registry notice from the French press. The cause of death has not been disclosed.<\/span><\/p>\n<div>\n<h3>Daily Debrief Newsletter<\/h3>\n<p>Start every day with the top news stories right now, plus original features, a podcast, videos and more.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>",
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        "rendered": "<p>In brief Friends and collaborators described Pagotto as \u201csuper creative\u201d and \u201cdiscreet and humble.\u201d RTFKT cofounder Steven Vasilev and BAYC\u2019s [&hellip;]<\/p>",
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