Sheldon Menery, who was a leading member of Magic: The Gathering's Commander Rules Committee, has passed away.

Sheldon Menery, who was a leading member of Magic: The Gathering's Commander Rules Committee, has passed away.

"Sheldon was a trailblazer in the Magic community, helping to shape the judge program from its earliest days and serving as a level 5 competitive Magic judge until retiring from the program in 2011," says Wizards of the Coast in a statement.  "A prolific writer and content creator, he shared his insights and expertise through articles, videos, and podcasts."

Sheldon had been fighting cancer for the past seven years.  News of his passing was made public by his wife via social media.

"Sheldon's body could no longer fight.  He passes away peacefully last night," she wrote.  "We will all grieve at his leaving, but we can be relieved his suffering is over."

Late last year, Magic Untapped interviewed Sheldon for our short documentary A Kind of Magic: 30 Years of The Gathering.  In the documentary, he spoke about casual Magic play and the Commander format, a format in which he was a key piece in its conception, development, and management.

You can view the documentary on YouTube.