Sunday, August the 7th, was a sad day for the Moz community when we lost a beloved member due to cancer.
Maybe the newest don’t know him, but there was a “Dog” here that was the smartest and funnier commenter of all: we knew him as goodnewscowboy; his real name was Bullitt Darlington.
The Moz community is proud of these qualities, so well expressed by the SEOmoz TAGFEE Tenets:
- Transparent and Authentic;
- Generous;
- Fun;
- Empathetic;
- Exceptional.
and Bullitt was the best example of this philosophy.
Transparent, because – even though he used for a long time the photo of his beloved golden retriever – we always knew he was talking from his soul;
Authentic, because he never hide himself behind a curtain of presumed knowledge or superiority;
Fun, because he was able to invent the most amusing joke and his a la Laurel & Hardy comments threads are going to be in the story of the SEOmoz blog;
Empathetic, because he was there when someone needed it, with an email, with a tweet, with a comment in Facebook;
Exceptional, because his intuition was so lucid, that he was able to argue and well guess so many things in SEO and marketing... while declaring, in his honestly and humbleness not being a real SEO.
Yes, SEO was not Bullitt’s main profession. It was his dream, what he wanted to be and what he started to be and preparing to make as his real job, one of the passions that made him fight his cancer. But he was an SEO in his heart.
I still remember a night this last January when I, Bullitt, Casey and Dr. Pete where having a totally not SEO chat on Twitter. It was like a conversation friends have sitting in a bar and sharing a beer, nothing remarkable, but unforgettable was that sensation of closeness we felt for few minutes.
We left with a promise that Bullitt’s health prevented us from making: to have the same conversation but in person during the last MozCon in Seattle, where we all were going to be.
Bullitt has passed away, but someone only dies when the last memory of him fades away. His 2689 comments here will make live in our memory always. Go and read them… and remember a man called goodnewscowboy.
From the SEOmoz staff:
We remember Bullitt Darlington, aka goodnewscowboy, as the most kind, witty, helpful and warmhearted soul to grace this community. Donations in Bullitt's memory can be made to the Salvation Army, one of goodnewscowboy's favorite charities.
Below are some of our favorite comments from goodnewscowboy. Feel free to share your own memories in the comments below. He wouldn't want it any other way.
Goodnewscowboy was truley one of those community members that every Community Manager hopes for. It was a rare occurence when a new Moz post would go up and he didn't leave a comment (or 5). He would jump in to the comments and remind someone to be TAGFEE, and was sure to give his honest opinion on every post.
Even though I never got to meet Bullitt in person, I considered him a friend. On a personal note, while I was going through my own cancer stuff (surgery and chemo), he was always very supportive. He would send me positive tweets and would remind me to not let it get me down.
I'm going to miss Bullitt dearly, I hope he knows the impact he made on me and this amazing community.
I remember when goodnewscowboy wrote to us in customer service about his account. He revealed his true name as Bullitt Darlington, the name his family knew him by. He was embarrassed for anyone to know. I was like, what?! Bullitt Darlington is the coolest name in the world! I wish I had that name.
Miss you GNC.
That was my first reaction, too - "That's an awesome cowboy name!"
Bullitt Darlington was a great name a for a fantastic individual.
I am surprised, shocked, and sad. I had no idea. goodnewscowboy was one of my favorite SEOmoz community members. Everything I knew about goodnewscowboy, which wasn't a ton, was fabulous.
I've written content that stirred the pot. goodnewscowboy came to my rescue as a cyber-bodyguard on more than one occasion. I always really appreciated that.
....or as a cyber-cowboy!
Ah! I remember that... yes, now I am without my couple for that...
When I first started at SEOmoz, for a second I thought that goodnewscowboy was on staff! I saw him on nearly every post, adding incredible insight and making me laugh more often than not. He definitely embraced the TAGFEE spirit and played a huge role in instilling that spirit throughout the community. I've missed seeing his comments lately, and forever will. Thanks for everything, goodnewscowboy - your memory and contributions will definitly live on!
I almost hate to "Like" this post but that Like and +1 go out to Bullitt. He was a great guy and incredibly generous to others in the community. I loved when he changed his avatar, personally, because everything about him said "cowboy", in the best sense of the word. I told him he looked like a young Jack Palance, and I could almost picture him telling Billy Crystal to find his "one thing" in life.
I remember that conversation. I can't recall if I said he reminded me of a "Redford" or a "Newman". I don't feel like searching at the moment ... I'm busy toasting to avatars.
I was so looking forward to getting into the mix with him again. Well, all we can do is live as right as we can. He'd appreciate that.
When I first got the email that he'd passed, I was walking in the hallway at SEOmoz on my phone. I think I started to lose it a little. I was SO looking forward to meeting him in person at Mozcon, and so bummed he couldn't make it, but I kept thinking - there's always next year.
This is a good reminder for me to try to connect with people whenever and wherever possible.
I'm also going to make a donation on his tribute page. https://donate.salvationarmyusa.org/page.aspx?pid=207#tribute Hope some others join in, too.
Thank you Gianluca for writing this post. And thanks to all of you in the Moz communnity who make this such a wonderful place to visit every day. I hope to bring GNC's positive attitude, even in the face of such rough adversity, to my work and my comments across the web.
Thanks Rand, I just donated a small amount in memory of: Bullitt Darlington
Great idea Rand,
Consider it done
Hi, guys. My dad, Goodnewscowboy (aka Bullitt Darlington) would've loved to read these comments! He absolutely loved the time he got to interact with all of you. You were a big bright spot in his life, and I am so happy to hear how much he impacted you. It's a great image to think of him up in heaven playing with Boozie (an awesome dog, btw). Anyway, thanks again.
Im also surprised and shocked. When I first started being a member of the SEO community GNC was always around willing to give a little more flesh on the carcass that was my knowledge back in the day.
I will be forever grateful for his contributions not only to the Moz, but to all of the SEO communities Ive been lucky enough to be a part of.
He will be sorely missed.
Martin "MOGmartin" MacDonald
Thumbs up for a lovely tribute, but thumbs down for sadness. :( I started following the SEOmoz community right about the time he stopped commenting much. I always enjoyed what he had to say, and Gfiorelli's description defines him perfectly.
He will be missed. :(
Thanks for letting us know.
Truly a great community contributor. I am really bummed out right now.
Me too...
Very sad to hear of Goodnewscowboy's passing. I never knew him, but I remember his avatar always being present in the comments. He really was part of what made SEOmoz a community, and he will be missed.
I really just want to cry now. Goodnewscowboy was one of the first members to welcome me to the community and I am so sad I never got to meet him. He was an important part of this community and will be sorely missed by many including me. I'll miss that dogs face and his reassuring words. We lost a great one. :'(
I'm really sorry to hear this - his user name was one of the first I learned here. There's something surreal and beautiful in his comments, like a time capsule. I wish those who knew him the best.
You will be missed buddy. It seems like we knew each other forever - back to my early days hanging out on the blog. It's amazing how well you can know someone before you even know their real name (which, as others have said, when I found out I thought worked perfectly with the online persona). Goodbye old friend.
"It's amazing how well you can know someone before you even know their real name" Ditto!
Damn dude...Bullitt became a regular commenter on my blog and I remember thinking, "this guy is super nice." It's a shame we never knew him by name until now, but I guess it doesn't much matter does it? The spirit shines through. RIP buddy. You will be missed.
So sad. Super nice guy and always had very intelligent and interesting comments.
I mean, what do you say. This sucks. May he rest in peace
Such sad news. GNC was such a wonderful contributor and and his dog avatar always cheered me up when I read the blog-- My thoughts are with his family during this difficult time.
RIP to a great member, I remember back in 2009 I was just browsing the forum and he had some fantastic posts, he was a very smart individual =) A great asset to the community and will be missed by all I am sure.
You get to see your old dog Boozie again buddy.
Rest in everlasting peace, and thanks for everything Goodnewscowboy!
Aww Boozie... thanks for remembering him. :) For those who don't know who Boozie is, check out this comment from Bullitt where he explains.
Wow, that's terrible news. Like some other posters on here, I've been reading the blog for over 4 years, but hardly ever comment as I often used to read each post later than many, and all my thoughts that were occurring whilst reading would then have been said in the comments - almost always by gfoirelli and goodnewscowboy. (@gfiorelli1 - I PM'd you last year when Jennita was doing her social experiment (I'm in Spain) and left you exactly the same comment but you never replied, I still have it in my outbox). I lost my father last year to cancer (very quickly) and it's a cruel unforgiving thing so I hope his family will find the strength and be pround of the leagcy - even so small here withing the community. Rest in peace dude.
It's not until something like this happens that you realise how odd the internet really is.
I never had the pleasure of meeting Goodnewscowboy, or for that matter even knew his real name until now, and yet I had some great conversations with him.
His avatar was one to look out for, for a good contribution to a topic or some more light hearted banter.
He will be sorely missed by family & friends alike; friends both in person and, like me, the lucky ones to have met him via the internet.
OMGsh, really?! Oh no............ :'( I remember him being super supportive when I released my very first YOUMoz post. He was one of the ones who contributed to the engaging, encouraging, thoughtful attributes of the SEO communioty. He will continue to be loved and missed. He's in my prayers always.
I am really shocked - I didn't knew this either. I didn't knew that he had cancer - I though he was quiet busy that he couldn't distribute more time to SEOmoz.
I only knew him from "commenting" and I really missed him the last months - wondering from time to time when he is coming back. I am sure he was one of those persons who just are nice and lovely.
He was such a warm hearted and kind individual plus he always added humour to anything he ever said. R.I.P
Such a shame, cancer always strikes the best of us, God bless you and your family. I'm happy so many other Mozers thought of you as highly as I did.
I would also like to say that the moz commuity won't be the same without goodnescowboy. He was such a positive light and I personally enjoyed all of my interactions with him. My thoughts (and all of the moz engineering crew) go out to him and his family.
Goodnewscowboy, you will be missed.
This is very sad news. Goodnews cowboy was a great contributor on the SEO forum and the candor and honesty in his comments reveiled him as a goodhearted person. Rest in peace, Bullitt.
Gianluca - great work on his blog post, it is a great tribute to Bullitt
Our thoughts are with Bullit's family and friends today. And our gratitude for having him as an integral part of our community will last forever.
Did not know you Good News Cowboy, but always enjoyed reading your posts and comments. Rest in peace.
I feel more for Bullitt's family more than I've felt about death in a long time. My heart goes out to those who were close to him. Many were blessed to take part in goodnewscowboy's life, as he was blessed to have so many that loved him. See you soon Bullitt, God Bless.
This is Mrs. Goodnewscowboy commenting. I had to jump in here and thank you all for the kind comments about my husband and best friend, goodnewscowboy. You will never know how much he loved SEOMOZ. He was even more in person, trust me. I have a huge goodnewscowboy-sized hole in my heart. Thanks for giving him so much to live for.
SEOMoz has always attracted golden people. When someone is adored in the virtual world as much as Goodnewscowboy obviously was, it speaks volumes about their character.
So sorry for your loss and thank you.
He was a fabulous member of our community and he is sorely missed. Thanks for stopping in during such a difficult time. You have more friends than you know, Mrs. GoodNewsCowboy. Do let us know if you ever need anything.
The reason he will be SOOO misssed here, is because he made himself such a part of our lives.
He did a great job bringing his own wit and wisdom to our group. We cannot begin to fathom the loss of your and I don't mean to compare ours to yours... but you should know, we are better for having known him.
You are always welcome here.
We all loved him as well and I for one miss him dearly. He was such a part of my daily life here on SEOmoz and twitter. Thank you so much for coming by, I know this is not an easy time. As Lindsay mentioned, please know you can contact us for anything, you have a lot of freinds here. :)
I remember him from about 1 year ago! He was COOL! I was hoping to meet him at Mozcon. He actually responded on some of my comments.
I WISH goodnewscowboy FAMILY THE BEST!
Goodnewscowboy will definitely be missed! Thank you for all the great comments.
I was wondering where the hell he went. One job took me away for 7 months and now another is bringing me back here.
The thing that excited me about ramping back up here were the comment marathons with gfiorelli1 and goodnewscowboy and myself. Who else could take my poor excuse for a sense of humor?
I'm going to pour myself a scotch and toast to the memory of that sonofabitch and his dog. I missed him while I was away and now I miss him more. Thanks for the update Gianluca.
Really, really sad. Until I learned better, I though GNC was a member of the Moz staff as he was always so involved in commenting on posts and giving his opinion. Best wishes to his friends, family, and may everybody remember his contribution to this community
So sad to hear about Good News Cowboy's passing. He was a positive and encouraging voice for me when I first got involved with the blog and he always provided honest and helpful feedback in the kindest and most encouraging way.
I know he will be missed by the community, and I lament that I never got to meet him in person. My thoughts are with his family.
This news is a real kick in the gut. GNC was a great contributor to the SEOmoz community, but more importantly, he was a class act and good guy. He'll be missed.
I always enjoyed reading GNC's comments. I'll post a link to my memorable interaction with him in the comments section of SEOmoz. https://www.seomoz.org/blog/5-actionable-takeaways-from-ses-san-francisco-2010#jtc120160
Thanks for sharing that Anthony, that is the perfect, typical GNC response. :)
This is a huge loss for our community :-(
GNC made an incredible impact on me through his positivity, brains and level-headedness.
:-(
Fuck.
This man was one of the best commenters on this site. He always stood up for what he believed in and stood up for the underdog.
I can't believe he's gone now.
R.I.P GNCB - The world won't be the same without you.
Goodnewscowboy will be sorely missed!
I didn't know Bullitt on a personal level, but he was very knowledgeable and would also contribute his knowledge in posts.
Just wanted to chip in, goodnewscowboy commented on a number of my posts. Always helpful and a great seo.
Sad day here on SEOmoz.
Can only echo what's been said already. A sad day. A sad loss.
Just got the chance to talk to him only once via Twitter and the great thing about him that he was open to help and share what he have got regarding topic… I am shocked and sad to hear this news…
Can’t say much but all the comments above and these thumbs up prove how much SEOmoz community love ‘GoodnewsCowboy’!
It's sad to hear of anyone dying of cancer, especially someone like GNC. After "lurking" on these forums for quite some time I can say it was posters like GNC who compelled me to start interacting here. My thoughts go out to his friends and family: my sincere condolences.
Really sad news. Although all memebers here are in same profession but we love to walk together and are part of a big family. Going through GNC's comments it appears he was really very nice fellow. If we feel sorrow, it must be very hard for his family. May God give them strength in this difficult time.
It is a matter of great grief and a shock. I remember him replying and commenting on nearly every comment. He sort of interacted with the community via his replies and comments rather than just putting his point forward.
The @seomoz community is surely going to miss him.
Thanks SEOmoz for informing us.
I only just heard about Goodnewscowboy, but from what I have read about him, he will be sorely missed.
I couldn't believe it when I heard the news. I only recently 'joined' SEOmoz (to comment) a few months ago, but I've been a reader of the blog for years, and like many of the others who have commented here, I saw many of his insightful and funny comments (and also thought that he was an SEOmoz staff member for a while, too!)
What a wonderful post in his memory. A fitting tribute to a great guy. My thoughts go out to his family. R.I.P. GNC
I'm glad to say that I knew Bullitt - he has been incredibly supportive in the past and I'm glad I had the chance to exchange emails and glean his incredible insights on our own projects. Smart, encouraging, genuine, awesome. He's always said the nicest things. Goodbye GNC :-(
Thanks for the link to that great comment Richard. :) It was comments like that which made him such a valuable member of this community.
It's so sad to hear about his death. Goodnewscowboy was such a kind soul! I remember my first YouMoz post I published where he encouraged me and supported me! That just the kind of person he was, supportive and absolutely friendly.
We've lost a good friend, sad that I never got to meet him... May his soul rest in peace. You will be missed here and I'm sure in a lot of other places...
Thank you Goodnewscowboy. Your comments helped create the humorous, compassionate, unique, and intelligent aura that I love about MOZ.
You have helped human beings evolve. RIP.
Ahh very sad. I'm very sorry for you guys. R.I.P.
I haven't been on seomoz in a month or so. I was reading the most recent article and scrolled down expecting to see goodnewscowboy as the 1st comment (which he normally is) and was shocked when he wasn't there.
He was always so fair-minded and positive. The community lost a great member.
The first time Goodnewscowboy directed a comment to me, it was about his appreciation of my Avatar. Out of the blue, so was his second comment. I didn't take long for me to appreciate Bullit as one of the most immediately noticeably genuine and positive members of the SEOMoz community.
Here's to you, Bullit.
What a lovely tribute - SEOmoz is a real community :-)
Oh...! Sad.
Very late to the game on this one, but I have to say I am truly sorry for the loss of one of my favorite SEOmoz community members who I never even knew. His comments and his tweets always made me smile. He was an exemplary industry player, and I can only hope his style, grace and wit will influence others as he's influenced me.
So sad to hear this
RIP, Bullit. I've always enjoyed your contributions and hilarious comments. You will surely be missed by the SEOmoz community.
I feel sad to hear the news. May his soul rest in peace.
What a sad day. R.I.P goodnewscowboy! To bring some light to the topic: Make sure you don't charge his credit card for the pro membership. :)