Om Malik has died

# Om Malik, 1966-2026 Source: [https://om.co/2026/06/24/1966-2026/](https://om.co/2026/06/24/1966-2026/) It’s hard to put into words what Om meant to me\. He wasn’t just a friend or mentor, he was family\. He would introduce me as his son, and that’s exactly how he treated me\. He was the first person to truly believe in me, the first to invest in me, and one of the people most responsible for the person I’ve become\. When I met him, I was just 17 or 18 years old\. He was the same age then that I am today\. It’s strange to realize I’m now standing where he was when he changed the course of my life\. One of my earliest memories of him was his 40th birthday party\. It was at a local bar, and since I wasn’t 21, I figured I’d have to stay outside\. Instead, Om made sure I was included\. That was who he was, he made everyone feel like they belonged\. When I made the decision not to finish college and instead pursue a career in tech, Om never questioned it\. He believed in me completely\. More than that, he sat down with my parents and helped them understand that I knew what I was doing, that I was in good hands, and that he would watch over my path\. Looking back now, I realize how extraordinary that was\. He wasn’t just giving me advice, he was taking responsibility for me\. That’s the kind of man he was\. Over the years, he became the first person I called whenever I needed advice\. No matter the situation, he always seemed to know exactly what to say\. He had a rare gift of seeing 20 steps ahead while explaining things with remarkable simplicity\. He gave wisdom freely, never seeking credit, only wanting to help others succeed\. He was also the officiant who married my wife and me, a moment I’ll forever treasure\. He wasn’t just present for the milestones in my life; he helped make them possible\. If you knew Om, you knew his love for espressos, photowalks, beautiful pens, and, of course, technology\. He was endlessly curious, always learning, always teaching, always thinking about what came next\. For nearly half my life, he has been one of my constants\. My sounding board\. My mentor\. My father figure\. My rock\. Thank you, Om, for believing in me before I believed in myself\. Thank you for standing beside me when others weren’t sure\. Thank you for every conversation, every lesson, every opportunity, and every moment of encouragement\. I will carry your wisdom with me for the rest of my life\. I hope to honor you by being for others even a fraction of what you were for me\. I am deeply grateful that I was able to spend one last Father’s Day with you and to be there in the final moments\. I love you\. I’ll miss you more than words can express\. Rest easy, Om\.