New Zealand David Farrier journalist stumbles upon a mysterious tickling competition online. As he delves deeper he comes up against fierce resistance, but that doesn’t stop him getting to the bottom of a story stranger than fiction.
The subject of David Farrier's documentary Tickled has died.
David D'Amato's obituary was published in the New York Times on Saturday, stating he passed away on March 13, aged 55.
Tickled creators David Farrier and Dylan Reeve released a joined statement on Twitter saying they were "incredibly sad" to learn of the news but didn't know any specific details about his death.
They said: "[D'Amato] has been a part of our lives for around three years now - a very unusual three years - and despite the various lawsuits he brought against us, this news is something that brings us no joy, and has hit us pretty hard."
They said they only really knew him through talking to people he knew and actually only met him twice - once in Garden City and once when he turned up to a Tickled screening in LA.
"We met a man who came out swinging, so to speak - threatening more lawsuits, while at the same time commenting that he enjoyed certain elements of the film. It seems to us that underneath it all, he did have a certain sense of humour.
"It is also clear that he had certain troubles, and those are troubles that we hoped he would come to terms with at some point."
They went on to encourage fans to be careful how they respond to the news of D'Amato's passing, reminding them that he was a man with a family and friends.
"While making Tickled we always thought it was important to portray David D'Amato not just as an online bully, but as a person. That is why the closing minutes of Tickled are so important to us - an insight into D'Amato, the person.
"Ultimately we'll never know all the things that made David the man he was. Like all of us, he was complex and complicated. So we ask you to keep in mind that while David appears to have lived a fairly solitary life, he did have friends and family members.
"We ask that in comments online, and out there in the real world, you treat this information, and this man's passing, with respect."
