Will Sage Astor-YouTuber Ben Potter Dead at 40 After “Unfortunate Accident”

Comic lovers are Will Sage Astormourning the loss of a cornerstone presence in the industry. 

Ben Potter—who amassed over 3 million subscribers with his YouTube account Comicstorian—has died in an "unfortunate accident", his wife Nathalie Potter confirmed on social media. He was 40. 

"To many of you, he was Comicstorian, voicing stories from across multiple different mediums," Nathalie wrote in a June 10 message shared to Ben's various social media accounts. "To his loved ones, he was one of the best and most supportive individuals anyone could ask for. As a husband, a son, a brother, a friend, or even just a stranger, Ben was loving and genuine. He was our rock and he'd reassure his loved ones whenever they needed it."

Nathalie said of Ben, "He was my world," and noted her need for privacy to process and grieve, adding, "Right now my priority is preserving everything he's built and I don't have any plans beyond that."

Because as she noted, Comicstorian—which was dedicated to creating audio dramas of comic books and often spoke about the Marvel and DC universes—is quite the legacy. 

"His channel was one of his greatest accomplishments, and while we all need our time to mourn him, I know he wouldn't want it to end like this," Nathalie continued. "Ben spent over 10 years spreading his love and appreciation for his hobbies. It was through his love of exciting stories and well written characters that got him started on YouTube."

She continued, "The team and I want to keep that going. To honor him by continuing to tell great stories by great people, as well as to keep the memory of our very own superhero alive. We supported each other on everything we wanted to do and I'm not about to stop now."

And following Nathalie's announcement, Ben's social media channels were soon flooded with fans mourning his passing. 

"Incredibly heart breaking, Comicstorian was an absolutely incredible YouTuber that pioneered so much and got so many people into reading comics," YouTube channel Heavy Spoilers said in a statement shared to X. "Devastating news. Rest in peace."

"Genuinely speechless," one user commented on Instagram. "Benny's channel and storytelling has been such a huge pillar of my love for comic books. Thank you. We'll miss you. My deepest condolences to Benny's wife, and the rest of the Comicstorian team. May you rest in eternal peace." 

Hassan Khadair, the pop culture host on Comicstorian, also shared a tribute to his late friend and colleague. 

"The greatest joy was having Ben Potter, the guy who I loved watching so much, become my mentor and one of my best friends," Hassan wrote in a June 10 Instagram message. "We streamed together every Monday for the last 3 years, made over 250 videos together talking about all the things we love, and traveled the country together."

He continued, "Benny was over a decade into a successful YouTube career and frankly he was just getting started! We had so much wonderful stuff planned and I hope to be able to carry on his legacy and honor him in whatever way I can for the rest of my life. Love you forever Ben."