Solid Lifters

Touring Mars

ツーリング マルス
Moderator
28,391
Scotland
Glasgow
GTP_Mars
Hello everyone,

As many of you will know, Solid Lifters was an active member of our community from 2003 until early 2016, racking up over 19,000 posts here on GTP.

After a few recent comments on the forums regarding his absence, I did a bit of investigation of publicly available information, however I'm very sad to report that it is very likely, if not certain, that Solid passed away some time in 2016, aged 46.

Despite being a prolific poster and very well liked here at GTP, Solid didn't give much away in terms of his private/personal details, and in that spirit I will not be sharing any more information than I think he would have wanted, other than to say that his real first name was Dennis. His GTP profile shows that he was born on 19th January, 1970 and his last activity here was early 2016. Solid also went by the same monicker on a few other websites, which also show that he was only active there until early 2016 as well.

Dennis had posted here about having a rare genetic condition that would ultimately result in him requiring various transplants, and he also shared some information about the fact that his disabilities had meant that his former hobbies and interests - shooting, racing and playing guitar - were mostly off limits to him in recent years. But in spite of his hardships, he never seemed to reflect the difficulties he was facing in his posts.

He was also something of a connoisseur, and enjoyed cigars, craft beers and, somewhat famously, food. Indeed, Solid's posts in the 'What are you eating/drinking?' thread are the stuff of legend, and smoking meat and making meals using it was something of a passion of his.

I know that this news will be difficult for some people to hear, and it is also perhaps a peculiarity of the internet age that it has taken this long for this information to come to light, but as such, I thought it was fitting to have a thread where people can pay their respects and share their thoughts, memories and comments.

RIP Solid (1970 - 2016)

P.S. I will update the thread title as appropriate in due course.
 
Last edited:
It isn't a rare occasion for me that when someone posts in the What are you eating/drinking thread that Solid doesn't come to mind. It's almost impossible to separate the two.

Much like @FoolKiller, he will continue to spring to mind for many years to come.

Thank you for the amazing detective work, @Touring Mars, and giving us this bit of closure. Condolences to his family.

RIP, Dennis.
 
Went to a random page in the Eating/Drink thread and found this gem. Right on cue.

I too, enjoyed his posting, and mostly knew him for the food posts.

RIP Dennis.

Screenshot_20210224-102530_Chrome.jpg
 
Unfortunately the only memorable post i can think of from Solid lifters, was in the 'post a pic of your pets' thread, (i rarely visit the food thread).
I was quite upset by what he had posted though (i won't describe it), but it's a sad day when anyone from GTP passes away.

RIP Dennis

[Edit]

My sincerest condolences to his family and friends.
 
Last edited:
Thank you @Touring Mars for your investigation work and bringing the community some form of closure. I can not comment much on Solid Lifter's presence in the forums as I do not remember any outstanding interactions with him, other than seeing that I congratulated him for 19,000 posts on the forums back in April of 2015. I can tell that he was a very well respected member of this community, and will be missed as such.

Rest in Peace, Dennis.
 
Last edited:
RIP Dennis.

I don't know what else to say. Only this, was he Dutch living in the US?
Solid mentioned his grandfather (his 'Opa') lived in Holland and his aunt came to visit every year from Holland. He also made several references to Dutch food as well, so he certainly had Dutch heritage, though I suspect he himself was not Dutch.
 
I can't recall ever having much dialogue with Solid Lifters, I recall the name though and could picture his avatar, I hope that his family found a path through the grief.

Weird though, how the longer this community thrives for, the greater the chance we'll find ourselves sad about missing someone we've never met.
 
This is sad news. :( I knew him a little - we shared several hobbies - I was puzzled when he simply vanished back in 2016. I did not expect that anything bad had happened to him back then even though I was aware of his condition - which sounded bad but still very treatable to me.

RIP Dennis. I'll light a cigar for you now.
 
Anyone still have his picture? I remember him sharing one that make him look like a huge version of Stone Cold Steve Austin if I remember correctly. When he started posting sad photos of the same plain old dinners every night, or posting frozen stuff that he would heat up, I kind of felt sad for him on the inside. He may not have had much of an outlet besides here and on BeerAdvocate.

I searched every obituary in California for 2016. There are a couple hundred Dennises, but none of them fit Solid Lifters. He had an aunt named Janna, his favorite brewery was in Redlands (Hangar 24), and he definitely was from the San Bernardino/Inland Empire metro area.
 
TB
It isn't a rare occasion for me that when someone posts in the What are you eating/drinking thread that Solid doesn't come to mind. It's almost impossible to separate the two.

Very much this. I can’t believe it’s been 5 years that we haven’t seen one of his posts about dinner that made us all hungry.

Sad news indeed. Hope his girls are staying strong. I suppose this was in the back of our collective mind for a while now, after so long without a post.
 
Damn.

I found myself checking his profile a couple times just to see if he posted any of his food photos :/

His food photos were all I knew him for, but it left an impression. From what I remember, he had daughters and always referred to them as his 'little boogers'. I hope they're doing well by now.
 
Damn.

I found myself checking his profile a couple times just to see if he posted any of his food photos :/

His food photos were all I knew him for, but it left an impression. From what I remember, he had daughters and always referred to them as his 'little boogers'. I hope they're doing well by now.
I believe he actually had sons, and the girls he often referred to (as shown in his avatar) are his nieces.
 
Last edited:
I wouldn't have noticed until it was brought up as I've never interacted with Solid personally, but I definitely remember his avatar being here and there.

It does make me think about some of the other folks I've had past interactions with whom no longer seem to be active here.

RIP to another person I never really got to know.
 
Given some recent experiences, I'd say that digging up information on old acquaintances can be a double-edged sword - you may find out stuff about them that you wish you hadn't...

In Solid's case, it seems everything he said was true, and that he was a very honest and great guy. I guess I only got a hint of what it was like to know Solid in day-to-day life, but it makes me glad that he reached out to folks on GTP and found a friendly place to be online, even right up to the point where he couldn't do so any longer.

I bought a small pack of Cuban cigars and some fancy chocolate stouts to have a drink and a smoke in his honour this weekend. I may not ever get the chance to know Solid any better, but I'd like to think that his influence (both good and bad!) lives on!
 
Thanks for the update @Touring Mars, I remember Solid Lifters well, he was an active member during most of my first stint on GTPlanet before I became less involved for a few years. It's sad news indeed, I hope his friends and family are well. I'll raise a glass to him too.
 
I never got to know him except for his "food" posts and the few quotes between the two of us. I found out, 5 years later, a lot of things I didn't even know. Is it wrong that I want to know even more?

Two well-known GTP members gone the same month. >>> Foolkiller and Solid Lifters.
 
Given some recent experiences, I'd say that digging up information on old acquaintances can be a double-edged sword - you may find out stuff about them that you wish you hadn't...

In Solid's case, it seems everything he said was true, and that he was a very honest and great guy. I guess I only got a hint of what it was like to know Solid in day-to-day life, but it makes me glad that he reached out to folks on GTP and found a friendly place to be online, even right up to the point where he couldn't do so any longer.

I bought a small pack of Cuban cigars and some fancy chocolate stouts to have a drink and a smoke in his honour this weekend. I may not ever get the chance to know Solid any better, but I'd like to think that his influence (both good and bad!) lives on!
I have some Cubans and (always) a good selection of Stout and IPA, and will hunt out a good Imperial Stout and join you in doing the same this weekend.
 
I remember seeing Solid around back in the day. I'm having a beer in his honor right now, a Wiedemann's Special Bohemian Pilsner, an old flavor I think he'd find interesting. Stories like his remind us that we need to enjoy life as much as we can because even if we go tomorrow we should go satisfied. Solid ate and drank like a king and that sounds like a great time to me.
 
Last edited:
Back