RIP Filthy Mike
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After reading these very sad news, I'd like to add my condolences to the many already posted.
My good thoughts are with Mike's parents and relatives, I'm sorry for your loss and wish you peace and strength.I only had a few direct exchanges with Mike, but, like likely everybody who is on this forum, I felt I knew him. He was just literally always present, a prolific poster with a most profound love of denim in general and the IH brand in particular. I always found he was generous, a good - if troubled - soul, and what I believe is called a "genuine guy".
It's terrible to lose him. He will be remembered, without any doubt, by this worldwide community to which he so extensively contributed.
R. I. P. Mike. Farewell.
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RIP Filthy
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This is so sad. I send my condolences to the family and loved ones. I remember @Filthy notoriously boiling his jeans and always posting fade pics with his sandals. This is such a gut punch to the community. He will be missed. RIP Mike.
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I was shocked and saddened when Giles told me the awful news about Mike yesterday, and am still at a loss for words. The tributes on this thread demonstrate what a lovely, lovely man he was - kind, generous, passionate about lots of things (especially Iron Heart) and adoring of his cat, Pickles.
He was loved, and will be missed enormously.
@Filthy:
I think Pickleses favorite thing besides begging for food is kisses
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Rest easy, Filthy.
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aw Mike
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For Filthy…
When I started on the forum around 2013 Mike was already there. At that point his forum nick was @FilthyBloodJunkie. I remember raising my eyebrows at that. It didn’t sound good at all. It wasn’t either, Mike had a long history of serious drug abuse.
Which points to something interesting regarding this thing of ours. We present ourselves in all kinds of ways here, as well as in other forms of social media. We may misrepresent, lie, or hide things. We may be open about some things but not others, or we may indulge keyboard warrior oneupmanship. Ironically, Mike did none of those things. His old nick was accurate. He used to be a junkie. He didn’t need to cover that up. He was always Mike, whatever his forum nick, at least until he settled on «Filthy». At which point he was already a legend.
So who was Filthy? He loved cats. He loved his Mum. He loved Iron Heart, zombies, vaping and pepperoni pizza. He was the most irreverent motherfucker I’ve met. And he was certainly the gentlest and kindest of us. He would help anyone here if he could, and he often did. Many of you will be familiar with the blue totes you get from Self Edge when you buy something. I lost my one that I got with my first pair of IH, mentioned it and he sent me one of his all the way PA to Norway. He secretly included an amazing silver skull ring of his that I had admired. Must be worth a few hundred dollars. He did it as a surprise. Madness.
Speaking of which, we know Mike died suddenly at the age of 44. Those of us that interacted with him for any period knew he was open about his mental illness. He would commonly laugh and joke about his suicide. It wasn’t an “if” but a “when” for him. For my part I accepted that, but secretly hoped, and believed, it would never come to that. He was too full of love and laughter, surely. Maybe it didn’t. Maybe his recently diagnosed heart condition took him. At the end of the day it doesn’t matter. He’s gone now and we’re much, much poorer for it.
Mike and I had our last communication a while back. Sometime in October or November. He was not in a great mood and was being negative about a lot of things not least the migration of the forum to a new platform. He wrote with some self deprecating bitterness that the “legend of Filthy” could die with the old forum and he wouldn’t be back. He didn’t live long enough to see that it won’t happen. It won’t be allowed to happen. I for one will remember Filthy, the man and the legend. The forum will remember him. Mike was one of the most beautiful people I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting and I loved him.
Goodbye mate. “We’ll always have cameltoe paradise”.
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the “legend of Filthy” could die with the old forum and he wouldn’t be back.
He told me this too, and that he only told you and no one else. Also asked me not to tell anyone so he could become a legend of the old IH forum. Guess he got what he wanted there, but more than he could have imagined.
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I'm so sorry to hear about Filthy's passing. He was one of the iconic members of the Iron Heart community. I loved reading about his bonkers exploits trying to shrink shirts, wash jeans, etc. The stuff of legend.
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I'm very sorry to hear about Mike. I'm relatively new here and I don't think that I ever had an interaction with him. I regret not getting to know him better. Anybody who likes both IH and Mickey's is definitely somebody that I could hang with.
I've enjoyed reading the posts from others about not only his passion for the brand, but also his kindness and generosity.
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It’s upsetting to read what a troubled bloke he was, but that makes it all the more poignant when it comes to his generosity. Gifting people he may have only known through their screen names hundreds of dollars worth of merch - just cos he wanted to.
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Rest in peace Mike! The forum really lost something yesterday
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Rest in peace 🫶
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I remember back the name filthybloodjunkie
Over the years i remember many of his conversations.
Had lot love for heavyweights denim
Would do things his own way, kinda am like that now doing it my way.
Remember Mike chat wanted to be buried in my overalls.
I did speak to Mike, group meeting, cause I knew over the years who he is.
He found mine language accent kind of hard for a Manchester Northern in got there in the end.
Put his ear closer to listen what I was saying.Had a few chats on Instagram too.
My last chat with Mike was the Slubby Evisu he found a picture,
I said Mike I have them let me dig them out for you.He was amazed to see the pictures.
Doesn’t matter Filthy had a past of a different life.
Bottom line who doesn’t, even I was different 20 years ago. Everyone has a past.
You’re young, you learn move on better yourself keep going.
I did ask Mike you coming to Gosport..
He’s said No..
Ok another time will meet some day.
Some things are meant to happen or not meant to happen.
All I can says many old members will remember you.
To fill that gap is gonna be hardest to adapt.
R.I.P
Mo
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This is such incredibly sad news, I haven't signed into the Forum for at least a couple of years. I always think of Filthy when I think about Ironheart so to see his face as soon as I logged on was a joy but instantly I realised there wasn't going to be good news.
When I first joined in 2017, I was wondering how I should start my Ironheart journey, Filthy immediately reached out and offered to gift me a pair of his IHXB01… his name then if I recall was Filthy25ozJunkie relating to the fantastic denim that they were crafted from... he had struggled to break them in and had popped the button off the waist... he replaced it with a drilled out penny... the penny happened to be from my birth year which seemed to be a good omen... subsequently I too popped that off...
I still have the jeans, the penny... and fond memories of Mike...
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This is such incredibly sad news, I haven't signed into the Forum for at least a couple of years. I always think of Filthy when I think about Ironheart so to see his face as soon as I logged on was a joy but instantly I realised there wasn't going to be good news.
When I first joined in 2017, I was wondering how I should start my Ironheart journey, Filthy immediately reached out and offered to gift me a pair of his IHXB01… his name then if I recall was Filthy25ozJunkie relating to the fantastic denim that they were crafted from... he had struggled to break them in and had popped the button off the waist... he replaced it with a drilled out penny... the penny happened to be from my birth year which seemed to be a good omen... subsequently I too popped that off...
I still have the jeans, the penny... and fond memories of Mike...
I first came to this forum after watching one of your videos, Devon.
I remember you saying how you'd been gifted a pair of jeans by somebody here, and I thought it sounded like a pleasant corner of the internet.
So in a way, Mike bought me here by proxy..
All the more reason to be grateful for everything he contributed to this community.
⁴⁹ ²⁰
