Marc Thorpe was born in 1946 in San Francisco, CA to Harriet and Lester Thorpe,
and was raised in San Leandro, CA. He attended UC Davis graduate school for art,
studying under legends such as William T Wiley, and ultimately receiving a Masters
of Fine Arts in 1971. In 1993, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease - the same
year he founded Robot Wars - but his diagnosis didn’t slow him down until his final
years. He left this world on November 24, 2023 at 77-years-old due to complications
related to Parkinson's.
Marc had quite a remarkable life. At various points he raised pet alligators, trained
dolphins, built major portions of the Star Wars and Indiana Jones universes (and many
others), created amazing art pieces, designed toys, worked on custom industrial design
projects, engaged in unique performance art and perhaps most significantly invented the
entire sport of robotic combat.
Along the way he also was the main catalyst and inspiration for a huge and thriving community
of highly creative individuals (which continues growing to this day) that would never have existed
without his unique spark and guidance. The number of lives he changed and the lifelong friendships he
forged within this group is hard to even imagine. His dedication and loyalty to this community is legendary.
Marc’s absolute and total commitment to everything he did taught us all what it really means to be a true “artist."
He would never compromise on his principles, despite the personal cost to him, and he was always completely
honest and straightforward with his opinions no matter how far they were outside the envelope of “conventional opinion."
His impact on the world, and especially on those who knew him, will be significant for a long time to come. Despite all his
accomplishments, he was also surprisingly humble, soft spoken and a really fun guy to be around.
The world would be in a much better place with more people like him in it.
Marc is survived by his daughter Megan Feffer, his grandchildren Evelyn and Elliott Feffer and the thousands of people whose
lives he deeply touched. He will be sorely missed by more people than he could have possibly imagined.