Josh Mayhood, the Angels blogger who kept the Halos Heaven ship afloat in the Spring of 2015 during its roughest transition and assembled the editorial team that comprises the core of this Crashing The Pearly Gates site here, passed away late last week at the age of 40.
Known by the posting handle Mayhem in the Hood prior to taking the lead at the site, Josh was a prominent member of the community, known for his consistent presence, sense of humor, sharp wit and being an overall good guy. He shined 2015-17 in keeping the sizable community at Halos Heaven together when yours truly left him quite unexpectedly with the reins. That there is a large, involved community at Crashing The Pearly Gates here today is due directly to him committing to running the old site then with independence and integrity – and under enormous pressure. For that we here are all in his debt and should remember him with gratitude. Had he been a flake in 2015 it would not have surprised those of us in the know to see Vox Media just scrub away the whole site and start a new one from scratch. In fact – they did something close to that late in 2019 with many of their SBN sites. A fan community that had lasted eleven seasons could have been scattered to the wind.
In 2018 Josh came clean about his struggles with substance abuse IN THIS ARTICLE and he parted ways with SBN later that summer. He and I took in a some Angels games over the years and he was a central part to a few of our site’s Las Vegas All Star Week outings – and took the most memorable photo that summed up the anarchic lust for life the site’s community embodied back then:
That is Josh in the middle, with yours truly on the left and the late Moondoggy on the right, out on the streets of Downtown Las Vegas in the Summer of 2011
While my memories are tinged with the bittersweet wonder of what could have been done to save him from his battles, I can’t think about him without laughing at his outrageous, impassioned zest to get everything he could out of life and to make sure those around him knew he was doing so. On his Facebook page‘s “about” section, he posted a slogan that sums up his eternal quest:
Have a good time, ALL of the time.
If ever there was a man to pour one out for, this was the man. Your beverage of choice was his beverage of choice, he said no to almost nothing. If, as the philosophers say, the road of excess is the fastest path to the palace of wisdom, Josh was far wiser than his years. And know this: He loved the Angels and he was proud to be part of this extended, long-lasting fan community, to be YOUR friend.
I will post an update about any services.
ABOVE: Josh and I in enemy territory, representing.
L-R: Jim Gardner, Rev Halofan, Wayne (yeswecan) in the back, Blast21Dave in the front, Cupie in the blanket and Josh “Mayhem in the Hood” on the right. In the upper deck during the 2011 season.
Mayhem’s business card sez it all.
I just saw this about Josh. My heart is crying. I’m in shock, don’t even know what to say, other than this was my worst fear when we spoke about his battles. Take care of Moondoggy.
This is Josh’s (Mayhem’s) Mom. It’s taken me a few weeks to be able to pen this post. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to Rev for sharing his pics. The caption photo is my all time favorite which I didn’t have. The tribute was an absolute pleasure for our family, those closest to Josh and apparently the halo fans who love the Angels as much as Josh did. I will forever be grateful to all who contributed to this article and those who took the time to comment. This will be something I will read over and over and over again.
I’m Nikki’s mom. This is a wonderful photo and tribute to Josh. As shallow as it might sound, I’m sorry for your loss. I think of Josh everyday and I say a prayer for him. His passing had deeply affected and saddened me. As for the Angels I share the enthusiasm he had for Shohei Otani who is the first player to completely capture my attention. From now on when I catch a game it will be a way for me to honor his memory and his love of The Angels. In my mind they will always be linked to Josh. My heart goes out to you and your family and my thoughts and prayers are with you always.
Can this be pinned to the top? I’d love for it not to get lost so everyone can get their kind words in.
Thanks so much for this write up. Josh was my best friend!! And he loved angels baseball and writing about it.
So sorry to hear this. I enjoyed Josh’s writing tremendously.
Very sad to hear. Thoughts and prayers to all those impacted by this.
I’m late on this but this was beautifully well-written, Rev. Thanks for sharing the wonderful memories of Josh, who by all accounts was a great dude.
Sending my best wishes to his family and friends during this difficult time.
A bit late on this, but I wanted to extend my condolences to Josh’s family and the staff and community of CTPG and of the previous HH site on your loss. I remember reading the linked piece Josh had written about his life as an addict and it was a very very powerful piece.
RIP Josh.
I am Josh’s little brother. Thank you for this and all of the kind words. I know some of his best times were writing for you guys and when he was doing anything that to do with the Angels. He truly was one of a kind.
My heartfelt condolences Mr. Mayhood.
Im so sorry you lost your big brother Josh. He was my son in law. His passing has affected and saddened me greatly. I think of him everyday and say a prayer for him. His love of The Angels will serve to keep his memory alive for me. This is a wonderfully written tribute to him. In fact I don’t think I’ve ever read a better one about anybody. You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers.
RIP, Josh
thank you for so much, bro
Sad news 😢 Condolences to his family and those that knew him. Was a regular with the HH community back in the day and it’s good to see so many “faces” on here.
Always a sad day when a real friend passes away. Wear that diaper with pride in your happy place Josh.
Oh damn, Josh. Nooooo! Loved his writing style and our personal interactions were really cool. So sad to hear this news. RIP, buddy. You were loved by your fellow Angel fans.
😔
Mayhem and I met pissing side by side in the bathroom at the Big A maybe in 2012. I had posted on HH that I was going to be at the game and asked who wants to meet up. He said he’d be there and we told each other what we were wearing. We planned to meet at a hotdog stand, but just so happened to go to the bathroom at the same time. It was awkward and hilarious to sort of glance over mid-piss and say, “Mayhem?” Unforgettable.
We shared two passions – Angels baseball and punk rock. I sent him music from my band. He sent me music from his band, Go Die. It’s great stuff! If you feel like it, join me in spinning some Go Die in honor of Josh. https://godie.bandcamp.com/album/nail-house-rock
Terrible news, but thanks for letting us all know, Rev. Josh was definitely one of the main reasons I joined HH way back when and ended up making it a routine part of my online life. He was a truly engaging and unique person and had a knack for making you feel like a friend just through a keyboard. It’s a shame I didn’t get to know him more in person.
Josh’s passing also led me to realize how special this community has become for me (and I’m betting several of you). Out of all the online communities I’ve been a part of since the glorious ’90s of my youth – gaming clans, music forums, niche subreddits, and so on – this group we’ve developed here at HH/CtPG is the only one still going strong after more than a decade of existence. Add the fact that we’ve survived more than one corporate cancellation attempt and had to rebuild from the ground up along the way and it’s even more remarkable. I don’t know where keeping a virtual baseball-blogging tribe together like this ranks on the scale of sociological achievements in the Information Age, but it’s for sure above replacement level. It’s been a pleasure sharing this journey with you all, and with Josh.
Be well, friends, and let’s keep the Good Time going!
Totally bummed. Of all the staff and regular posters at HH, Josh was the only one I ever met. He was shocked that a stranger knew who he was, but was cool and funny about it all. I’ve missed his writing over the years, and wondered how he was doing. So sad to hear this news amongst all the general depression these days. I hope you are resting easy, Josh.
Tough news. He basically held the community together almost single-handedly for a while there. RIP Josh
Dang it. This sucks great guy too funny
This is horrible news. I always enjoyed my interactions with Josh on the old HH.
I’ve been following HH since the early 2010s and was incredibly pissed when Rev was forced to leave for writing an article that stated the truth. I thought that was gonna be the end for HH and boy was I wrong. Josh stepped up and transitioned the site better than anyone could have asked for and more. HH and Crashing the Pearly Gates wouldn’t be where it is at if it wasn’t for Josh leadership. For that I will always be grateful even though I don’t comment on much here.
RIP Josh. You will be sorely missed. Chat it up with Swaggy and Adenhart for us.