Comedy 'genius' and prolific 'web prankster' dies in tragic hit and run
Leslie Nassar, the 43-year-old Australian man behind a number of bitingly funny Twitter parody accounts, died Saturday morning after a drunk-driving hit and run in Nampa, Idaho.
Police say his daughters, a 3-year-old and an 8-year-old, were found on the scene with minor injuries after the suspect's vehicle fled the area. Nasser was rushed to hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.
Tributes flowed for "digital guru" online, after news spread of his passing. He was known for his work developing moderation technology for Australia's most Twitter-led panel show, Q&A, as well as for creating the much-loved "Fake Stephen Conroy" account — a satirical handle impersonating Australia’s ex-communications minister.
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But perhaps the sardonic and most-loved of Nassar's offerings was "Department of Australia," a Twitter handle mistaken for an official government account almost daily, whose output is a hilarious re-writing on current events -- not-unlike The Onion, but perhaps even darker and more "Australian" in its sensibilities.
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Friends and fans alike have been honouring Nassar on Twitter and Facebook today, and have set up a donation page for his family.
Topics X/Twitter
Jerico Mandybur is the editor of Mashable Australia. Previously, she worked as a digital editor at SBS, Oyster Mag, MTV and ASOS. Tweet her at @jerico_m.
