It was revealed today in the New York Times obituary that former attorney John Kirby passed away on October 2, 2019, at the age of 79.
If that name sounds familiar, that’s because he’s the unwitting namesake for Nintendo’s favorite pink puffball, Kirby. John Kirby worked with many companies, including Nintendo, Pepsi, and more; and famously, successfully defended Nintendo in a lawsuit brought on by Universal City Studios regarding King Kong and Donkey Kong. Nintendo would later also gift him a sailboat, aptly named ‘Donkey Kong’.
Aside from his video game contributions, Kirby was also the special assistant to the head of the Civil Rights Division, and also helped discover literacy tests that were designed to exclude African-Americans that helped in forming the basis of the Voting Rights Act.
Rest in peace, Mr. Kirby.
