PANews reported on October 13 that The Block reported that RTFKT co-founder Benoît Pagotto has passed away at the age of 41. The news was originally reported by Philippe Rodriguez in a LinkedIn post, who called Pagotto a "client and friend" and noted that Pagotto's death was "very sudden." Rodriguez was a founding partner of Avolta Partners, which advised RTFKT on its sale to Nike in December 2021. Steven Vasilev, another co-founder of RTFKT, later confirmed the news on the X platform. Nike previously announced that it would close the startup in December 2024. Pagotto will continue to stay at Nike as Senior Director of Brand and Partnerships.PANews reported on October 13 that The Block reported that RTFKT co-founder Benoît Pagotto has passed away at the age of 41. The news was originally reported by Philippe Rodriguez in a LinkedIn post, who called Pagotto a "client and friend" and noted that Pagotto's death was "very sudden." Rodriguez was a founding partner of Avolta Partners, which advised RTFKT on its sale to Nike in December 2021. Steven Vasilev, another co-founder of RTFKT, later confirmed the news on the X platform. Nike previously announced that it would close the startup in December 2024. Pagotto will continue to stay at Nike as Senior Director of Brand and Partnerships.