MAiNLiNE passes away at 26
Michael "MAiNLiNE" Jaber has passed away at the age of 26, former teammate Joel "jcrueL" Cruel has confirmed.
While a cause of death is not known publicly at this time, MAiNLiNE battled cancer in 2019.
MAiNLiNE is remembered fondly in the North American CS:GO community for his many contributions to the scene in its early days which saw him play with and guide many current top CS:GO and VALORANT players including Pujan "FNS" Mehta, Kenneth "koosta" Suen, and Mitch "mitch" Semago.
After being a consistent figure in the early seasons of ESEA Invite and CEVO Pro, MAiNLiNE rose to mainstream prominence in the rapidly expanding NA scene while playing the first three seasons of ESL Pro League with Method, Enemy, and Selfless.
During this time, MAiNLiNE reached what would arguably be the apex of his playing career when Enemy pulled off a shock upset to win MLG Columbus' Americas Minor over David "DAVEY" Stafford's Splyce lineup.
In the years following the end of his time with Selfless, MAiNLiNE never returned to the top of the domestic scene, but continued to be an influential figure through his work with upcoming names on the likes of eUnited, Ghost, BlackOut, and New Identity including Ryan "ryann" Welsh, and Jonathan "Jonji" Carey, and Matthew "WARDELL" Yu. Back in 2018, a young WARDELL had this to say about working with MAiNLiNE:
Numerous players who knew him throughout his career have given tribute to MAiNLiNE, describing him as a hilarious teammate and friend whose enthusiasm was contagious.
