“I want to do something worthwhile that someone else can enjoy, to be known...”

— autoglassmasterclass, June 20th, 2010

Ross J. Riordan (online handle autoglassmasterclass), was a prodigious musician and humorist who was born on May 3rd, 1996. Ross lived in Middletown, New Jersey and attended boarding school during the winter months. He began practicing the piano in 2006, was recognized with five certificates from the American College of Musicians’ Piano Guild, and passed with distinction the music theory exam of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. Between the ages of 13 and 18, he was a frequent poster on many internet forums, through which he helped found a pair of long-lasting communities: the Kanye West Mail-In Fanclub and Cheeseless Pizza.

“Auto,” as he was widely known online, was a gentle soul with many friends, and treated each of them with total respect, even when others would not. He had an irreverent and absurdist brand of humor and was a prominent figure in many circles, simultaneously famous and notorious for his music, comics, pranks, and unique pervasive personality. Online, his humor made him seem larger than life, and he revealed his true feelings only rarely. However, he struggled with conflicting impulses towards seriousness and goofiness - remarking at times that he had difficulty being funny when humor was called for, but also had trouble being serious when sincerity was called for. Even while fostering a loving and inspiring presence, Auto suffered from chronic self-doubt and depression, and passed away, at the age of 18, on November 25th, 2014. He will always be in our hearts.