Brandy Maltas (Kalli Birman) Has Died

Some sad news for the music scene in Second Life. Brandy Maltas (account name Kalli Birman), noted for being the manager of Mankind Tracer (Seth Regan) and other musicians, has passed away. Her death was announced on Facebook, as well as a friend's blog. Cancer was the cause of death. She was forty, and survived by three children.

I talked to Brandy briefly while I wrote for the Second Life Newser to arrange a time for an interview with Mankind Tracer. I would meet her again in February 2012 when Mankind was part of a veterans benefit concert at Patriot Island. She would help manage the Second Life careers of other musicians, but remained best known for her time with Mankind. She and Mankind would also organize an "SL9B Street Fair and Bar Crawl" in 2012 in response to Linden Lab's decision to not sponsor any more Second Life Birthday events.

Brandy would write in her blog in July 2014 that she had come down with cancer, later stating it was uterine cancer. Although she was responding well to treatments at first, the cancer spread and she began getting worse. Her last Facebook post was on May 26, a couple weeks after the one before. On the night of June 1, she was rushed to the hospital, but despite the efforts of the doctors she would die the next morning.

Brandy's Facebook page had a number of people expressing their sadness and condolences, "My heart is breaking right now. Brandy was one of the most courageous ladies I have known." "I hope to see you in Heaven too, don't forget me." "What a brave strong woman she was to fight so hard." "Although I didn't know Brandy very well, I followed her journey on Facebook and am heartbroken to hear she has moved on."

Mankind's own statement included the following, "Heaven gained an angel yesterday. Brandy leaves behind three children. She did not have money. In fact she struggled just to get by. Believe me when I tell you, she had it rough but I did what I could to help her family, I know others who also did. Yet, she gave of herself unconditionally, to help others, to do what was right. Well, SHE was right, in so many ways, and she was a representation of so much what is right in the world. With her loss, right now her kids are going through this incredibly difficult time and I'm trying to help them to be strong, to be ok and this means trying to help in whatever way I can." Mankind would also request people donate to his paypal account to help out her children.

The author of www.freewheelintravel.org  wrote she and Brandy had become close friends. When the subject of death and mortality came up a few months ago, Brandy was quoted as saying, "Don't mourn me. I'm happy. I like the person I am, and I have no regrets. So when I die, don't have a funeral. Have a party, drink some beers, and celebrate my life."

The Newser is not yet aware of any plans for a memorial service or memorial.

Bixyl Shuftan