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Hi Not many of us here actually knew Wizard and even less of us actually met him, Reg the site owner here being one such, but we have sent messages to him through this board and others, and we have shared with him though his legacy MFME a small part of him, and although we will never have an update there are so many machines that can be emulated, by keeping the scene going, is the best legacy we can have for the man who touched us all Chirs J Wren.

Rest in peace buddy x

Hi @Chopaholic and thank you so much for sharing this. I've only watched the most recent video, as I fear the first video you made may make me too emotional today. Everything you said was absolutely spot on. Cannot thank @Reg enough for bringing the light to our family with the letter he sent to the funeral directors about Chris and his legacy. I don't have much more to say, other than words of thanks to all of you who are taking the time to honour my uncles memory. I have been keeping up to date with each new message in Wizards Rest and I imagine I will for some time to come. Thank you also to he who made that beautiful guitar track. My PC unfortunately won't let me download it even though I downloaded an RAR converter.. Clearly technical genius isn't genetic Thanks again, and I will keep reading all that you post about my dear uncle. Amy.

I know its hard Gary..but i hope that us members with what Chris has left us, that we shine so bright and continue his work, so when Chris looks down upon us, He is so proud of what enjoyment he has left for others.

RIP wizard i never knew him but what ive read from the post is he was a great man who will be sadly missed taken far too soon massive respects jeff

So sad, rest in peace wizard X

Since COVID i havent spent much time online but more time with my family, I log on today and read this sad news I was never a big poster but have follwwed Wizards creation for many years and even leant the skills to create using the tools this genuis brought to us While i did not know Wizard/Chris what he did for many 100's and 1000's of people was create a community of giving and sharing and loving, the world of FME is a family like no other I dont have words of how i feel apart from i am deeply saddened by this news Wizard/Chris may you Rest In Peace and thank you for the many years of happiness you have brough us all Your legacy will never be forgotten Sam

i'm not a big poster on here and I haven't been on the site for a wile. But its only right to pay my respects to the guy thats made all this possible. thanks Wizard and RIP mate. Taken way to early

Only just read this and am in complete shock. RIP Wizard. So sad. A timely reminder to enjoy your life while you can.

I'll link this video first as it's the later one, this is bringing together the tributes from all of us and the uplifting knowledge that Chris's family found out at his funeral about how many lives he had touched and made such a difference to. My heartfelt thanks to the members here at DIF who made getting the message to him possible, and to Harvey for being the bedrock of the scene at this awful time. Thank you Chris - you made a difference in this world that most of us could never even dream of accomplishing. This is the earlier video from the day I found out about his passing.

I read this last night but wanted to give it a day to just give it time to sink in. I didnt know Chris personally but i echo a lot of people in this thread..i feel so so sad. Like a lot of people on here Chris' software opened my eyes to the realities of fruit machines. I think the more i was able.to play on my pc the less i was bothered to play for real and im forever grateful to him. Rest in Peace Chris

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Just got the news. Thanks Choppers. Not much I can say really. Over the past ten or more years I have begun to realise that you don't need to physically meet someone to mourn their passing. They just need to have touched your life, and for you to realise that without them your life will not be the same. It also wouldn't have been the same if you hadn't known them in the first place. My life moved in a very different direction over a decade ago and FME was not something I wanted to continue with. However that doesn't mean that I will ever not be thankful for the truly shit times it did get me through and the messes it kept me out of. Sadly I did give an open invite to Chris to meet up with myself and a fellow friend of his but he refused. I am glad I did that, I would regret it if I had not. Life has moved on greatly in the past 20 years, but that doesn't mean I am ever too complacent to forget. From the moment we met and spent hours talking about Line Up and MPU3 sound to our spats and arguments. I will never forget any of it, as everything was a lesson. God speed Chris. I hope you are coding up there. Pandy.

Completely lost for words, Most of us I think have barely scratched the surface on what lies within MFME and the work and dedication that went into it. I know for me it will give me years of pleasure tinkering around inside, the Electro Emulation side was the work of a pure genius defying all those that said it could never be done. Who can I bug now when I am stuck, well I have a feeling you will be there in spirit with a sign when I need it. Thank you Chris and RIP.

Such sad news, I still find it difficult to process like many others. Thank you for the wonderful emulator and the constant improvements over the years. If it wasn't for MFME I would probably be spunking my money away every pay day. Thanks for helping cure my addiction (11 years and counting) and many other people's. I now have a wife and 3 boys and am eternally grateful for your part in helping me kick the nasty habit. I can play all these machines for free now so thanks again. RIP Chris (wizard)

Rip Chris Thank you for all the wonderful memories that you gave me when i was playing all these fantastic layouts on the mfme emulator that you created.

Watching Degsy's vid on this just now, Welsh beer in hand, sat with my cat Chorlton. Thanks for the memories Chris. Mark

Thanks so much for this video, which is heart felt and respectful. I'm not the best with words but I am at the same point with you on how it feels running MFME now without it's creator being present. I hope that feeling changes with time. Great to hear Bungle's guitar track as well. I really hope you continue with your FME videos because I really enjoy them and it provides another angle to FME which is just not text based. I have to be honest in all of this lately I have really missed the days or IRC when we could have chatted in real time about things. What this community has done here over the last few days has been amazing and I am proud to be part of it even though we fall on hard times now.

What that man gave us is a legacy, he gave us the opportunity to play the games we loved (and hated) that we can never lose, he didn't just fling together some flimsy piece of software, he constructed something to emulate what an entire industry has made it's money on, for free, many people look at FM's as a plague, probably rightfully so, however it became part of our lives at some point, he gave us the opportunity, at absolutely zero cost to wind away hours upon hours of nostalgic memories, for some as mentioned before, it helped save there lives, finances, marriages, everything! Now in this day of what is certainly the swan song of analogue fruit machines, there legacy is most important and he, himself created it, he will go down in history, maybe a small part of history but history nonetheless, RIP my man.

I can't believe what I'm reading. To say I'm shocked, and saddened would be an understatement. My deepest sympathies goes out to his closest family, and friends. He will be sorely missed in the FME community. Wizard was the man! If it weren't for him I would still be throwing away money in the fruities, probably. Finding MPU3/4 in the early 2000's cured me of my addiction - so I'll always be eternally grateful to Wizard for that. Thanks for the memories, and the last twenty years.

The end of a most fantastic and often special journey. Thank you for everything Chris x.

This is so true, Top Stop and others had roms released by him, despite our difference of opinions in the early days and he knew I was desperate to see it emulated as I used to keep going on about the machine.

I am sorry I haven't posted before, just haven't known what to say, which is a common theme running through everyone's touching tributes. I was deeply ssddened to learn of Wizard's passing. Whilst it's true we had a turbulent past, in more recent times it was much calmer. When he released his Cash or Nudge, shortly after I happened to mention the machine in a post, I was so chuffed that in spite of our past he had given me my most wanted emulation. He was like that, a bit gruff, but a big hearted spirit. I hope he was justly proud of the scene he created and the admiration and adoration for his work, as expressed in the thoughts in this thread, shows that proudness we have in him. I doubt any of us have on our devices a piece of software which is so long lived, so well used, so complex and free at the point of use. That Wizard could have been incredibly wealthy developing and selling other software but chose to invest in our toy which was given for free and which had such a profound effect on so many peoples lives is truly astonishing and altruistic in this world. RIP Chris / Wizard, wherever you are now they are lucky to have you and sadly it is our loss. Tonight I have toasted MFME, your most magnificent of creations and thank you from the bottom of my heart. The scene will be less bright without you around. Gary

Sorry for the late posting here, this sad event has brought me here! I would just like to say a huge thanks to Chris who took his valuable time and skills to help me repair my old fruity boards, we shared many hundreds and even thousands of emails where he put up with my untrained skills and guided me every step of the way, and he always got me there, I think this goes back to 2013. Having never met him I still feel I knew him well! Chris knew I was not fully into the emulation but also knew I admired his skill and dedication to the MFME cause. I want to send my condolances to his family and close friends, this was a real shock to us all! Chris we are going to miss you mate you are a true gent and a legend! God bless. Ronnie netdent mpu mecca

RIP Chris AKA Wizard I am unsure what to say except Thank You for everything you have done and provided for the MFME Family.

A big Glass of Captain Sparrow Rum and a Jackpot after just 3 Spins - Cheers Wizzard! Thank you for all you´ve done. Marc

R.I.P chris you were the legend of all creating something for us all to play and enjoy you put alot of time and effort on mfme. Big cheers from me And thank you Give my love to all your family x

I'm a bit a late as well, so I've raised a glass to the legend, genius, inspirator, the man himself himself: The Wizard. God Bless Chris, we will all miss you - and we will never forget you.

I still class myself as a newbie to all this as it has only been 5 month’s since I stumbled on to the Scene by accident, it was during lock down and I was browsing you tube and came across @Chopaholic channel where he was explaining what mfme was all about and I thought to myself that looks interesting and decided to give it a go and haven’t looked back since.I was very nervous at first as I had never been on any social sites etc before, but within minutes people made me feel welcome you know who you are @Reg@Big J and many more. You’re emulator Mfme is a work of art That only a true genius could create it brought back many childhood memories from the mid 80s onwards when I played the old 2p £1.50/£2 jackpots with my pocket money , even the wife has told me I am a lot happier these days and have stopped moaning at her in the evenings. Sadly you were taken away far to soon and I will not get to know you better and I wish I had stumbled on to this scene many years a go as there are many great folks on here and it’s all down to you ,so for that I thank you Chris and toast a glass of . RIP Wizard you will be missed, and always remembered every time I load Mfme.

Is that a MIddle east rug or one of ours... an Allied Carpet

Very good... Went to ASDA earlier and I think Aladdin is doing his big shop...