Adrian Lamo, hacker, dead at 37

It’s official: Adrian Lamo has died.

According to a close friend he died sometime Monday, alone at home. While cause of death is still undetermined, foul play is not suspected and there were no signs of violence or forced entry. Could be his hard living lifestyle just caught up with him, could be an accidental overdose. If it were deliberate, I’m sure Adrian of all people would have left a note (and answered questions on Quora about it). Final results will have to wait till the toxicology screening is done in a few days. An autopsy has been performed that showed nothing immediately responsible for the sudden death of a 37 year old man.

[Edited by Ray to add] Feel free to help Adrian’s family cover the funeral and burial costs. Please share this article and the gofundme. The private service will be held at 11 AM Central – Friday March 23nd. The family hopes to have a live stream or a later recording.


People would be shocked to learn just how normcore his final year was. Holding down a steady job (that he enjoyed and was a natural for). Seeing friends IRL. Going to Little League to watch a pal coach his team. Attending church and getting baptised. Having family dinners together on Thanksgiving and Christmas with his local informally adopted family, who had helped him get established, get his own place, and live something approaching an ordinary life. As much as Adrian Lamo ever could, a man whose Facebook page boasts the URL

They called him regularly, and when he failed to answer the phone for a couple of days this week they went over and found him. A few of us were informed last night, and I personally spent until 4am trying to contact those closest to him. His parents have flown up from Colombia. Now that his father has publicly posted about it in the 2600 Facebook group that Adrian created (screenshot above), I feel it’s okay to let everyone know. Sorry if it hurts to find out this way.

A friend of his is collecting Adrian Stories to put in a book to be published privately. If you have stories you’d like to include, either comment saying so or email raincoaster at or use the Contact Form to let me know.

People, including Adrian, could never understand how he and I could work together for years when he turned Manning in and I was one of the people behind Free Manning. He asked me about it a few times, and I basically said that we all have limitations to the extent to which we can be trusted, and those vary depending on the context. Then I would change the subject.

I was careful not to expose myself or those I supported to risk from Adrian, and he careful in the other direction. He did once fall silent when I told him Anonymous often told me in advance what they planned to hack and when. He remained silent a few long beats and then asked if I would give him a heads up when Anonymous was planning something, but I just laughed. He said, “Well, I had to ask!”

Adrian was nothing if not complicated.

I last messaged Adrian at 9:05pm Monday, to tell him Matthew Keys was out of prison. I felt pretty sure he would want to dream up a prank around that, if not a media blitz. He never opened the message.

Categories: Adrian Lamo, Bradley Manning, Breaking, Chelsea Manning, Crime, Cyber, DramaSec, Geek, Hackers, Hacktivism, Informants, News, Obituary

8 replies

  1. Do you have any information on there being a service?


  2. Chelsea is alive (and free) and this worthless piece of shit is dead.

    It’s a good day.


  3. Guilt for ratting out Manning take its toll?


    • Still no cause of death, but if it had been suicide love him or hate him you gotta know Adrian Lamo would have left a suicide note. And it would contain at least one word designed to make you feel uneducated.


  4. Given that in the Manning was at the “right side” of the history by revealing war crimes, the murder of journalists and alike and given that the Lamo was collaborating with the FBI to repress the person, who wanted to reveal the war crimes to the public, the Lamo probably did not die at all, but just got a new identity from the FBI. May be the Lamo was also involved at some other FBI operations that wore out his real identity to the extent that all combined made sense for an identity swap, a “clean” start.


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