The Miami Dolphins fan community is reeling from the sudden death of Eric Carmona, the creator of the We Are TuAnon Twitter account and father of four.
But many have turned their grief into action, and in the four days since his death, raised more than $40,000 for his family.
The biggest donation? A $7,000 contribution from Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill, per the GoFundMe page set up by a family friend.
Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins Fans Rally Around Family of ‘TuAnon’ Creator
The page announcing Carmona’s passing was created a day after he was killed in a two-vehicle accident in Murrieta, Calif., before dawn Thursday.
The GoFundMe posting read: “Eric Carmona, also known as FinsVicious, was a proud Navy veteran, and a die hard Miami Dolphins and Tua fan. But, most importantly, he was a great husband to Vanessa and an amazing father to his 4 children.
“Eric passed away Thursday early morning on his way to work at the young age of 30 and he will be missed by everyone who has been touched by his words and friendship.
“Funds are being raised in honor of Eric to help Vanessa and their children through this tragedy.”
The response from the public was quick and overwhelming. After three days, the fundraiser was more than 80% of the way towards its $50,000 goal, thanks to the sizable donation from Hill on behalf of his Soul Runner Speed Academy.
“My little family is beyond grateful to everyone who has made a donation,” Vanessa Carmona wrote Sunday. “You can’t imagine how grateful I am and how grateful Eric would be to see this support.”
Carmona’s legacy in sports will be as Tua Tagovailoa’s most creative supporter on Twitter. He created the We Are TuAnon account in September 2021 as a satirical counterbalance to what many Dolphins fans saw as unfair treatment of Tagovailoa in the media.
On Friday, the account sent the following message to its 23,000 followers:
“To be clear, for all [intents and] purposes, Eric was TuAnon. The videos were him, the modulator was him. The interviews with media were him. We’ll miss you Chico. Eric was a navy veteran, massive Tua fan, massive Dolphins fan, great husband, and great father.”
Carmona last posted on his private Twitter account on May 31.
His final message: “Give people their flowers while they can still smell them.”
