Late last night, word began to spread around the tech community that one of Diaspora‘s four co-founders, Ilya Zhitomirskiy, had passed away. With much sadness, we’ve now confirmed this terrible news with the Diaspora team.

@Yungjohnnybravo @TatWZA

The news is incredibly jarring, to the point that much else I could say escapes me. Ilya was just 22. To see any member of our community pass is sad, but for one so young to go is absolutely crushing. The cause of death is currently unconfirmed.

Our sincerest condolences to Ilya’s family, friends, and the entire Diaspora team.

[techcrunch]